Sponsors (145)
Official title: To support the national defense and economic security of the United States by supporting vessels, ports, and shipyards of the United States and the U.S. maritime workforce.
Introduced May 1, 2025 by Trent Kelly · Last progress May 1, 2025
The bill aims to rebuild U.S. maritime industrial capacity and national sealift readiness through funding, procurement preferences, workforce supports, and incentives—but does so at the cost of higher shipping and trade costs, significant federal spending and revenue shifts, increased regulatory burdens, and potential diplomatic and rights‑of‑commerce frictions.
U.S. shipbuilders, maritime manufacturers, and mariners will see increased demand and jobs as the bill drives domestic ship construction, repair, and related industrial activity (new programs, procurement preferences, tax credits, and loan funds).
Military personnel, defense logisticians, and taxpayers will get stronger surge sealift, strategic commercial fleet capacity, and better readiness because the bill prioritizes U.S.-crewed and U.S.-built vessels, strategic exercises, and blocking potentially hostile foreign actors from maritime commerce.
Maritime programs, agencies, and industry stakeholders gain a dedicated Maritime Security Trust Fund and more predictable revenue streams (tonnage taxes, light money, duties, penalties), providing sustained funding for implementation and industry support through 2035 constraints.
Importers, exporters, shippers, small businesses, and consumers will likely face higher shipping and trade costs because of U.S.-flag preferences, per-ton taxes/penalties for foreign shipyard use, domestic sourcing mandates, and cargo‑preference rules.
Taxpayers and the federal budget face substantial new spending and revenue shifts (large appropriations, Trust Fund diversions, tax credits, and revenue redirections), which could increase deficits or crowd out other domestic priorities.
Trade partners, exporters, and some U.S. firms could encounter diplomatic or commercial friction and possible retaliation because the bill creates designation authorities, penalties, and restrictions targeting foreign shipyards and entities of concern.
Based on analysis of 26 sections of legislative text.
Creates a national maritime strategy office and board, a Maritime Security Trust Fund, shipbuilding incentives, a vessel investment tax credit, export carriage conditions, workforce benefits, and USMMA modernization.
Strengthens U.S. maritime and sealift capacity by creating a White House maritime office and interagency Maritime Security Board; establishing a Maritime Security Trust Fund fed by specified trade and customs revenues; and authorizing a mix of direct spending, loan guarantees, tax credits, and procurement preferences to grow U.S. shipbuilding, repair, and domestic-flag fleets. It also sets workforce and education benefits for credentialed merchant mariners, requires strategic planning and exercises for sealift and cable-repair capabilities, conditions some crude-oil exports on carriage by qualifying U.S. vessels, and directs a major modernization plan for the U.S. Merchant Marine Academy. The bill covers many policy tools: reorganizing statutes and funds, creating new grant/loan programs and a revolving loan fund, adding Buy America and U.S.-build/component requirements, creating a United States vessel investment tax credit, expanding Public Service Loan Forgiveness eligibility and certain VA educational benefits for mariners, funding maritime innovation centers and incubators, and requiring strategic assessments, drills, and reporting to Congress. Its goals are industrial-base growth, national security resilience, workforce expansion, and reduced reliance on foreign-flagged commercial shipping for critical cargoes and strategic sealift needs.