Congressmembers introduced bipartisan, bicameral legislation to strengthen the U.S. shipbuilding industry this week.
U.S. Sens. Mark Kelly (D-AZ) and Todd Young (R-IN), joined U.S. Reps. John Garamendi (D-CA-8) and Trent Kelly (R-MS) in introducing the Shipbuilding and Harbor Infrastructure for Prosperity and Security (SHIPS) for America Act in both houses of Congress on Thursday. The law makers said the bill will fuel the U.S. economy, and strengthen national security by responding to the threat China poses on the oceans. While the U.S. has 80 flagged vessels on the open seas, China has 5,500, the Congressmen said.
“We’ve always been a maritime nation, but the truth is we’ve lost ground to China, who now dominates international shipping and can build merchant and military ships much more quickly than we can,” Kelly, a U.S. Navy veteran, said. “The SHIPS for America Act is the answer to this challenge. By supporting shipbuilding, shipping, and workforce development, it will strengthen supply chains, reduce our reliance on foreign vessels, put Americans to work in good-paying jobs, and support the Navy and Coast Guard’s shipbuilding needs.”
The legislation is designed to revitalize the country’s shipbuilding and commercial maritime industries by establishing national oversight and consistent funding for U.S. maritime policy, incentivizing domestic shipbuilding, enabling U.S.-flagged vessels to compete in international commerce, rebuilding the U.S. shipyard industrial base and expanding the maritime workforce.
“For far too long, the United States neglected our maritime industries and the critical role they play in our national and economic security – this ends with the SHIPS for America Act. I have spent over 10 years working to revitalize the U.S. maritime industry in order to strengthen our national economy, create good-paying American jobs, and support our national security during peacetime or war,” Garamendi said.
The legislation is supported by a number of maritime and industrial organizations including the Shipbuilders Council of America, American Shipbuilding Suppliers Association, American Association of Port Authorities, National Defense Transportation Association, Maritime Institute for Research and Industrial Development, New American Industrial Alliance, United Steelworkers, International Brotherhood of Boilermakers, Alliance for American Manufacturing, International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers, the AFL-CIO Transportation Trades Department, and the Massachusetts Maritime Academy.