Sponsors (27)
Official title: 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 April 30, 2025 by Mark Edward Kelly · Last progress April 30, 2025
The bill substantially strengthens U.S. maritime capacity, shipbuilding jobs, and national security readiness through funding, domestic preferences, and workforce programs, but does so at significant taxpayer cost, higher shipping and trade prices, increased regulatory complexity, and potential international and supply‑chain frictions.
Millions of Americans dependent on U.S. national defense and emergency logistics (service members, veterans, taxpayers) gain stronger national security and crisis readiness by expanding strategic sealift, aligning freight policy with military sealift needs, and protecting commercial fleets from physical and cyber threats.
U.S. shipyards, suppliers, and maritime workers see sustained demand and job growth as the bill prioritizes domestic shipbuilding, repair, and standardized U.S.-sourced designs, supporting manufacturing and local economies.
Current and future mariners, students, and maritime employers benefit from expanded workforce development, recruitment, apprenticeship and academy support, clearer career pathways, and retention programs (including PSLF and VA benefit eligibility), easing labor shortages.
Taxpayers face substantial new and ongoing federal costs (appropriations, Trust Fund outlays, loan guarantee exposure), increasing fiscal pressure and potentially crowding out other priorities.
Consumers, importers, exporters, and small businesses may pay higher shipping, import, or export costs because of cargo preferences, penalties/taxes on foreign-linked vessels, Buy America-type requirements, and limits on using lower‑cost foreign options.
Targeted restrictions on foreign shipyards, suppliers, and entities of concern can strain diplomatic and trade relations (notably with China), risk reciprocal measures, and complicate international commercial relationships.
Based on analysis of 24 sections of legislative text.
Creates a national maritime strategy implementation structure, trust fund, shipbuilding loan programs, domestic-content export carriage rules, innovation centers, and academy modernization to rebuild U.S. sealift and shipbuilding capacity.
Creates a whole-of-government effort to rebuild the U.S. commercial maritime industrial base, grow a U.S.-documented international fleet, and strengthen strategic sealift for national security and economic resilience. The bill creates a White House Maritime Security Advisor and Maritime Security Board, establishes a Maritime Security Trust Fund and new shipbuilding loan programs, sets domestic-content and U.S.-registry requirements for certain crude oil exports, funds Merchant Marine Academy modernization, expands workforce and training incentives, and authorizes programs to spur shipbuilding, repair, technology, and port resilience. The legislation also adds a new Strategic Commercial Fleet chapter, directs defense and maritime agencies to run tabletop and preparedness exercises (including undersea cable repair capability assessments), creates a Center for Maritime Innovation and regional incubators, and expands benefits and training pathways for Merchant Mariners (including loan forgiveness and some VA/education eligibility). It emphasizes reducing reliance on foreign entities of concern and increasing Buy America-style sourcing for ships and key components.