Team Trump readies national security card to justify taxing Americans for foreign chips

World War Fee Uncle Sam is kicking off a probe into the national security risks associated with America relying on imported foreign-made semiconductors.

The move is a likely precursor to sticking steep tariffs on imported chips: The Trump administration has been applying similar levies to foreign goods ostensibly to, among other things, encourage more manufacturing on American soil.

Public notice of the investigation will be published in Wednesday's edition of the Federal Register. In a pre-publication copy of the notice available for review now, the US Department of Commerce explained it was seeking public comment on the matter as it seeks to "determine the effects on national security of imports of semiconductors, semiconductor manufacturing equipment (SME) and their derivative products."

Per the notice, derivative products include things "that contain semiconductors," so if any tariffs do result from the investigation, expect electronics that include foreign-made chips (yes, iPhones) to be ...