Supporters of the SHIPS for America Act are making a strong push to get significant maritime legislation passed in Congress. Lawmakers, labor leaders, and shipbuilding executives are presenting this bill as a key elemen...
Supporters of the SHIPS for America Act are making a strong push to get significant maritime legislation passed in Congress. Lawmakers, labor leaders, and shipbuilding executives are presenting this bill as a key element of a growing bipartisan effort to enhance America's commercial maritime capacity and industrial base.
At a press conference on Capitol Hill, following a joint House hearing focused on revitalizing shipbuilding, Representatives John Garamendi and Trent Kelly urged their colleagues to seize what they see as a rare chance to advance maritime policy.
“We need to take decisive steps and get this done,” Kelly stated, advocating for the SHIPS Act, which aims to expand the U.S.-flag fleet, rebuild shipyard capacity, strengthen maritime supply chains, and grow the nation’s workforce of mariners.
Garamendi, who is the ranking member of the House Armed Services Readiness Subcommittee and co-author of the bill, noted that support for maritime revitalization has greatly increased in the past year as worries about the decline of U.S. shipbuilding and China's industrial dominance grow.
The Shipbuilding and Harbor Infrastructure for Prosperity and Security (SHIPS) for America Act is a comprehensive maritime policy bill intended to restore U.S. commercial shipping and shipbuilding capabilities. Supporters describe it as one of the most ambitious maritime bills in decades. Originally introduced in December 2024 by Senators Mark Kelly and Todd Young, alongside Representatives Garamendi and Kelly, it was reintroduced in the 119th Congress in April 2025. The bill seeks to reverse decades of decline in the U.S. maritime industrial base.
Advocates pointed out a significant disparity often referenced by the bill's supporters: there are fewer than 100 U.S.-flagged ships involved in international trade compared to about 5,500 that are registered in China.
“This is about economic security and national security,” Garamendi remarked, positioning the bill as part of a larger effort to restore U.S. maritime strength.
The event highlighted that support for the bill extends well beyond Capitol Hill.
Maritime advocates took this opportunity to introduce the new USA Shipbuilding Coalition, a labor-management group urging Congress to invest in shipbuilding, repair capacity, workforce development, and domestic supply chains.
“This is the broadest coalition we've seen in decades surrounding maritime industrial policy,” said Michael Wessel, president of the coalition, which frames shipbuilding revitalization as a strategic response to competition from Chinese industries.
Support from organized labor is also growing. The 600,000-member International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers reaffirmed their backing for the SHIPS Act this week, joining organizations like the AFL-CIO and United Steelworkers in calling on Congress to advance the bill without delay.
IAM President Brian Bryant emphasized that the legislation is vital for rebuilding the domestic shipbuilding and repair capacity, and labor organizations are linking this effort to stronger trade enforcement and long-term investments.
Industry leaders highlighted that the scope of the legislation is unusual, as it connects commercial shipbuilding, sealift readiness, mariner development, and port competitiveness into a broader national maritime strategy.
Matt Paxton, president of the Shipbuilders Council of America, referred to the legislation as “the catalyst” needed to revive American shipbuilding capacity, while Brian Schoeneman, chair of USA Maritime, suggested it could be the most significant maritime legislation in the last fifty years.
This renewed effort comes as maritime policy has gained attention in Washington, particularly following investigations into China’s shipbuilding practices, initiatives from the Trump administration to “restore American maritime dominance,” and increasing alerts from military and industry leaders about how decades of underinvestment have weakened essential parts of both commercial shipping and sealift readiness.
For supporters, the message from Wednesday is clear: the revival of the maritime sector has transitioned from a mere concept to an active legislative push.
Whether Congress will act promptly remains uncertain, but advocates claim the coalition backing the SHIPS Act is more extensive—and more vocal—than ever since the bill was first introduced.
“We can’t afford to wait any longer,” Schoeneman declared. “It’s time to get it done.”