Courtney slams Trump steel tariffs after Australia sends sub industry money

The ranking member of the House Armed Services Seapower subcommittee criticized President Donald Trump for his announcement of new steel and aluminum tariffs days after Australia sent its first increment of hundreds of millions of dollars of AUKUS submarine industrial base funding.

On his way to the Super Bowl on Sunday, Trump told reporters his administration this week would unveil a blanket 25% tariff on steel and aluminum.

Rep. Joe Courtney (D-Conn.), on the House floor Monday, called this a “needless, almost insult to the people of Australia” days after that country announced it was contributing the first $500 million of a planned $3 billion influx of investment into the U.S. submarine industrial base to support AUKUS submarine efforts. 

“We are working with them and they are buying three nuclear submarines, cash on the barrelhead, full price, no gimmes, no giveaway,” Courtney said. 

The United States. has a trade surplus with Australia, Courtney said.  

The total planned $3 billion investment by Australia is in addition to the country’s plans to buy at least three used and new U.S. Virginia-class attack submarines in the 2030s as a bridge for when the Collins-class boats retire.

Australia plans to start producing the new nuclear-powered SSN-AUKUS class submarines in the early 2040s, after the U.K. will have started production on its own submarines of the same design in the 2030s. The plan allows Australia to buy up to five total U.S. submarines if SSN-AUKUS runs into significant problems or delays.

A version of this story was first published by Exchange Monitor affiliate Defense Daily.