Senate Hearing to Examine Reviving U.S. Commercial Shipbuilding Amid China Challenge

The Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation’s Subcommittee on Coast Guard, Maritime, and Fisheries will convene a hearing on Tuesday to examine strategies for modernizing and accelerating U.S. commercial shipbuilding while strengthening the nation’s maritime industrial base.

The hearing, titled “Sea Change: Reviving Commercial Shipbuilding,” will feature testimony from private industry representatives and policy experts on federal maritime procurement. It will also focus on President Trump’s efforts within the National Security Council to “Make Shipbuilding Great Again” and provide context for issues likely to be addressed in the administration’s upcoming Maritime Action Plan, a key component of the President’s Restoring America’s Maritime Dominance executive order signed in April.

Chairman Dan Sullivan emphasized the strategic importance of the hearing, stating: “Our nation faces a critical strategic challenge as foreign competitors, especially China, lead global shipbuilding while our domestic capacity remains very limited. This hearing will be an important step toward understanding the obstacles and identifying policy solutions to rebuild a robust, competitive U.S. shipbuilding industry—one that supports good-paying American jobs, strengthens our maritime workforce, and ensures our national security in key regions like the Arctic.”

Senator Ted Cruz highlighted Texas’s role in the maritime industry, noting: “Texas is a maritime powerhouse. Our ports drive commerce, support thousands of jobs, and serve as a critical frontline for national security. I was proud to help secure a deal to build three icebreakers in Galveston, the single largest increase in U.S. shipbuilding capacity in decades, which will support a projected 7,000 skilled Texas jobs.”

The hearing will feature testimony from Matt Paxton, President of the Shipbuilders Council of America; Jeff Vogel, Vice President of Legal at TOTE Services; and Dr. Salvatore Mercogliano, Professor at Campbell University and creator of the What’s Going on with Shipping Youtube channel.

Written statements submitted for the record underscore broad industry support for the SHIPS for America Act, which was re-introduced in April 2025 by Senators Mark Kelly and Todd Young. The legislation proposes establishing a Strategic Commercial Fleet Program to grow the U.S.-flag fleet to 250 ships and expanding cargo preference rules to require 100 percent of U.S. government cargo to move on U.S.-flagged vessels.

Captain James Tobin, President and CEO of the U.S. Merchant Marine Academy Alumni Association and Foundation, highlighted the human capital dimension of maritime readiness: “More than 80 percent of the US Navy’s Strategic Sealift Officers are service-obligated graduates of the U.S. Merchant Marine Academy, whose mission is to educate and train the licensed officers who command our commercial fleets in peacetime and, in wartime, transport the armaments, fuel, and supplies required for victory.”

A coalition of maritime labor organizations, including the American Maritime Officers, Marine Engineers’ Beneficial Association, and Seafarers International Union, submitted a joint statement highlighting the current state of the U.S. maritime industry: “U.S.-flag commercial vessels today carry less than 2 percent of America’s commercial foreign commerce, clearly not a ‘substantial portion.'”

The labor groups warned of the consequences of inaction: “Without the critically important initiatives contained in this legislation, vessels may be forced to leave the U.S.-flag. This will not only reduce the commercial sealift capability available to the Department of Defense but result in an outsourcing of critically important American maritime jobs causing a dangerous reduction in the number of American mariners available to crew the surge and sustainment vessels needed to support American troops overseas.”

The hearing will take place in Committee Hearing Room, Russell 253, and will be livestreamed on the Committee website and YouTube channel, beginning at 10:00 am EST.

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