Question

Suppose there is a policy debate over whether the United States should impose trade restrictions on imported ball bearings:

A congress woman from a state with several ball-bearing factories argues that the government should impose a tariff on ball bearings because they are a necessary input into the production of various weapons. Free trade would make the United States overly dependent on foreign countries for the supply of ball bearings. In case of a war, the United States might not be able to make or purchase enough ball bearings and, therefore, would not be able to make enough weapons to defend itself. Which of the following justifications is the congresswoman using to argue for the trade restriction on ball bearings?
A. Jobs argument.
B. Using-protection-as-a-bargaining-chip argument.
C. Unfair-competition argument.
D. National security argument.
E. Infant-industry argument.

Answer 1

D. National security argument.

Step-by-step explanation:

Looking at the options, the correct one is National security argument. This is because the congress woman is arguing that ball bearing industry is important in making weapons which is in turn very important to national security. She argues that imposing trade restrictions on free trade, it will make the United States begin to produce their own weapons which will be helpful in time of war when they need a lot of weapons.. Thus, her justification in her argument is primarily for National Security!