WASHINGTON, D.C. – The priority to build more ships for America’s national security now has official endorsement from Congress. New bipartisan legislation warns that the U.S. ship-building industry has been dangerously neglected, and the only way to counter Beijing’s growing dominance at sea is to reinvest in this critical sector.
“Right now, in the United States, we have 80 U.S.-flagged crude vessels to carry goods into the United States and out of the United States. But we’re a maritime nation, as we have been from the very beginning, and we need to be less at the mercy of the Chinese Communist Party when we need ships. They have 5,500 commercial vessels,” Indiana Sen. Todd Young (R) told CBN News.
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These 80 U.S. merchant ships transport items internationally, ensuring our supply chain in times of peace and critical military needs in times of crisis.
Over the last few decades, however, the U.S. ship-building industry has taken a hit, largely due to lack of investment, strict U.S. regulatory requirements, and outsourcing the work to other countries to save money. Beijing, meanwhile, has made ship-building a priority.
“They are able to manufacture roughly 1,000 every year. The United States, we can only manufacture five, five vessels every year, so we need to increase our manufacturing capacity,” Sen. Young explained.
The Ships for America Act, a bipartisan bill reintroduced this year by Sen. Young and Democratic Sen. Mark Kelly, aims to revitalize the U.S. ship-building and commercial maritime industry by:
- greater investment in domestic shipyards,
- incentives for people to join the industry’s workforce, and
- partnering with the Navy to ensure its needs are met as well.
“This is a pretty comprehensive piece of legislation. Fortunately, President Trump has been on board. We have support from Republicans and Democrats alike in the House and Senate, and we need to get started on this project right now, because it’ll take time to put all this in motion,” Sen. Young said.
He believes building and staffing more of these ships will create American jobs, keep supply chains resilient, and strengthen the ability to keep the U.S. military supplied in times of war.
