119 Lawmakers Push to Anchor SHIPS for America Act in Defense Bill

One hundred nineteen lawmakers from both parties are pressing congressional leaders to retain and expand SHIPS for America Act provisions in the final fiscal 2027 National Defense Authorization Act, arguing that a U.S.-flagged fleet of fewer than 100 oceangoing merchant vessels is a national security liability rather than a commercial statistic.

In an October 29 letter to the four top congressional leaders, the group — led by Representatives Trent Kelly (R-MS) and John Garamendi (D-CA) alongside Senators Todd Young (R-IN) and Mark Kelly (D-AZ), the act's bipartisan sponsors — asked that shipbuilding language already passed by the House survive conference negotiations intact, and that omitted measures from the broader bill be reconsidered.

The House-approved defense bill, H.R. 8800, carries elements of the Shipbuilding and Harbor Infrastructure for Prosperity and Security Act of 2025 under Title XXXVI. According to the letter, those provisions cleared the House unanimously — a fact worth noting, given how rarely maritime policy commands cross-party consensus. Yet the lawmakers themselves concede the House language is incomplete.

"The inclusion of these provisions is a necessary start for revitalizing the U.S. maritime industry," the letter states, before asking that Congress "give further consideration" to what was left out.

How wide is the shipbuilding gap?

The numbers the lawmakers cite frame the problem starkly. China, South Korea, and Japan together build more than 90% of global tonnage. The United States builds less than 1%.

On the carrier side, the disparity is equally lopsided: fewer than 100 U.S.-flagged vessels trade internationally, against an estimated Chinese fleet exceeding 5,500 ships. That is a ratio of roughly one American hull for every fifty-five Chinese ones — a margin with direct consequences for wartime logistics capacity, sealift availability, and leverage over commercially controlled tonnage in a crisis.

The letter does not dwell on commercial competition alone. "Especially should the United States enter a prolonged conflict, a robust Merchant Marine, outfitted with U.S. shipping vessels manned by American mariners, would be critical for addressing any potential logistical challenges associated with the transportation of supplies," the lawmakers wrote.

What does the act actually propose?

The SHIPS for America Act is a sweeping attempt to reverse decades of decline in U.S. commercial shipbuilding and shipping. Its stated aims include:

• Establishing long-term federal maritime policy and oversight
• Improving the competitiveness of U.S.-flagged vessels in international commerce
• Rebuilding domestic shipyard capacity
• Expanding recruitment, training, and retention of American mariners and shipyard workers

The legislation has drawn support from maritime unions, commercial carriers, shipbuilding interests, and industry associations. The lawmakers also cited the Trump administration's stated commitment to restoring U.S. maritime dominance — a rhetorical commitment that, so far, has not been matched by enacted shipbuilding funding at the scale Asian competitors deploy.

Signatories span both chambers and both parties. Senators Susan Collins, Elizabeth Warren, Richard Blumenthal, Amy Klobuchar, Katie Britt, and John Fetterman signed, along with Representatives Joe Courtney, Rob Wittman, Salud Carbajal, and John Moolenaar, chairman of the House Select Committee on China — a roster that pairs progressive Democrats with China-hawk Republicans around a industrial-policy argument.

The letter went to House Speaker Mike Johnson, Senate Majority Leader John Thune, House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, and Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer.

What remains unresolved?

Everything beyond the House text. The House has approved several SHIPS for America provisions; the final scope of maritime reform in the NDAA is still open as conferees negotiate.

The letter's closing request is explicit: "Now, we ask that these provisions be retained and strengthened in the final National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2027."

A promise of fleet rebuilding on this scale deserves scrutiny — the gap between under 1% of global tonnage and meaningful capacity is measured in decades and hundreds of billions of dollars, not a single authorization cycle. Still, with a unanimous House vote behind Title XXXVI and 119 lawmakers on record, the odds that some form of the act reaches the president's desk inside the defense bill have materially improved.