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.

A rare moment of unanimity rippled through the U.S. House today as lawmakers from both parties lined up behind the Federal Maritime Commission Reauthorization Act of 2025, a piece of legislation that quietly carries heavyweight implications for global trade, maritime power, and the rules that govern the oceans American commerce depends on. Introduced earlier this year by John Garamendi and advanced with key provisions authored by Dusty Johnson, the bill had already cleared the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee in September, but the unanimous floor vote gives it a different kind of momentum.