Sponsors (2)
The bill enables the USMMA to raise and retain private funds to strengthen athletics with some federal oversight, but it does so by creating procurement and governance exemptions and shifting assets and personnel outside standard federal accountability, trading transparency and certain employee protections for funding flexibility.
Students at the United States Merchant Marine Academy gain expanded athletic support (equipment, travel, facilities, program enhancements) because a nonprofit can raise and spend funds specifically for academy athletics, improving student athletic experience and program quality.
The academy can access private revenue streams (sponsorships, licensing, ticketing, NCAA-type activities) and retain proceeds until expended, reducing reliance on annual appropriations and providing more predictable funding for athletics.
Department of Transportation oversight provisions allow federal employees to serve without pay on the nonprofit board or provide oversight, which preserves a level of federal accountability and brings agency expertise to the corporation.
The bill permits sole‑source contracts and exceptions to some procurement and funds‑transfer rules for the nonprofit, reducing competitive bidding and transparency for expenditures that support athletics.
Persons working for the corporation are explicitly not federal employees, which limits federal accountability over staff actions and denies them federal employee benefits or protections.
Leasing academy real property to the corporation and transferring DOT non‑appropriated fund assets could create perceived conflicts of interest or the use of public assets to benefit a special program, raising concerns about stewardship of public resources.
Based on analysis of 2 sections of legislative text.
Allows the Transportation Secretary to create a federally owned nonprofit to support USMMA athletics, enter contracts/cooperative agreements (including limited sole-source), lease Academy property, and provide support services.
Introduced November 20, 2025 by Roger F. Wicker · Last progress November 20, 2025
Creates a federally owned nonprofit corporation, controlled by the Secretary of Transportation, to support athletic programs at the United States Merchant Marine Academy (USMMA). Gives the Secretary authority to enter contracts and cooperative agreements (including limited sole-source authority), lease Academy property for up to five years to the nonprofit when not needed for immediate Academy use, and provide a range of support services and resources to benefit USMMA athletics.