WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Jerry Moran (R-Kan.) – chairman of the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Commerce, Justice, Science, and Related Agencies (CJS) – led a subcommittee hearing to review the President’s FY2026 budget request for the Department of Commerce. Secretary Howard Lutnick testified before the subcommittee and answered Sen. Moran’s questions on the department’s efforts to protect American aviation and aerospace manufacturing from tariffs.

“In Kansas, we have lots of manufacturers, and the aviation and aerospace industry is a significant component of that,” said Sen. Moran. “That industry has a very positive trade balance, perhaps the best in our country. I wonder how the Department of Commerce is going to act to protect that trade surplus as you have negotiations with other countries for trade agreements.”

“There’s a zero-for-zero tariff provision on aerospace parts and tools,” continued Sen. Moran. “Under the 1979 agreement in the aviation aerospace industry, is that something you will pursue in trying to maintain, so that trade balance continues to be such a positive for our nation?”

“Our nation’s aircraft business is, as you correctly say, a fantastic asset of our country, one of the great exports of our country, and we are going to protect it,” answered Secretary Lutnick. “We have a 232 in the Commerce Department, but we do expect as we did with the UK – we negotiated a zero tariff with them – and if other countries play ball with us, then I would expect that’s an offer we’d make, provided they’re buying our aircraft.”

Sen. Moran’s opening remarks can be found here.

Click HERE to Watch Sen. Moran’s Full Questioning

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