Bipartisan Coalition Presses for Passage of SHIPS for America Act
A bipartisan group of lawmakers and maritime industry leaders held a joint press conference Wednesday to press for passage of the SHIPS for America Act, legislation designed to revitalize the United States shipbuilding capacity and commercial maritime sector.
Congressman John Garamendi (D-CA-08), Ranking Member of the House Armed Services Readiness Subcommittee, and Congressman Trent Kelly (R-MS-01), Chairman of the House Armed Services Seapower and Projection Forces Subcommittee, appeared alongside Matt Paxton, President of the Shipbuilders Council of America, and Brian Schoeneman, Chairman of USA Maritime.
Garamendi cited growing bipartisan momentum as evidence that the legislative push is gaining ground. “For over a year, we have seen promising progress, reflected in a growing coalition of supporters both on and off Capitol Hill,” he said, crediting the House Armed Services Subcommittee on Seapower and Projection Forces and the House Transportation and Infrastructure Subcommittee on Coast Guard and Maritime Transportation for convening hearings on the matter.
Kelly framed the issue in terms of both economic and national security decline. “For years, we’ve fallen behind in providing the maritime industry with the resources it needs,” he said, calling for expanded investment across military and commercial shipbuilding alike and urging action across all stakeholders. “Time is of the essence. We need to take decisive steps and get this done.”
Paxton argued the legislation directly addresses distortions in the global shipbuilding and ship repair markets — a pointed reference to China’s state-subsidized dominance. Schoeneman went further, calling the SHIPS for America Act the most consequential maritime legislation in more than half a century.
The bill’s co-authors span both chambers and both parties: Garamendi and Kelly in the House, Senator Todd Young (R-IN) and Senator Mark Kelly (D-AZ) in the Senate. The legislation was introduced in December and has since gained urgency following a USTR report on China’s shipbuilding dominance, a shipbuilding-related executive order signed by President Trump, and the subsequent release of the administration’s Maritime Action Plan.
The convergence of executive action and congressional momentum marks an unusual alignment on an issue that has languished for decades.