Fifty years ago, the cranes never stopped moving. The shipyards were full. Shipbuilding was steady work that built steady lives, and made the United States the world’s dominant maritime power. Today, that capacity is significantly diminished. The workforce has shrunk, the yards have slowed, and the country that once out-built the rest of the world has atrophied. A strong shipbuilding industry is more than steel and steady paychecks. It is one of the backbones of our nation’s ability to compete on the world stage, project power, and mobilize its people.
The scale of this industrial decline is impossible to ignore. In 2024, China built 1,400 merchant ships. The United States built five. China now has 232 times as much shipbuilding capacity as the United States. The industry that enabled the U.S. to become a world superpower has long been neglected. This gap is the result of decades of underinvestment in our yards and in the supply chains that turn steel into ships.
America’s shipbuilding problem doesn’t end with production. The ships America does have are increasingly hard to crew. In 2017, the Maritime Workforce Working Group found that the U.S. was in a deficit of over 1,800 qualified mariners. All around, shortages have only compounded, with the Navy’s Military Sealift Command announcing in 2024 that it would sideline up to 17 auxiliary and support ships due to a persistent lack of crew. Ahead of a fall 2024 announcement on the Navy’s plan to put a number of Military Sealift Command logistics ships into extended maintenance periods, and re-assign certain crews to higher priority vessels, Rear Adm. Philip Sobeck, commander of Military Sealift Command, noted, “This shortage is an industry-wide problem. . . In fact, we’re just not competitive”. Two shortages exist, with one root cause: the U.S. maritime industry lacks the industrial capacity and workforce needed to sustain a fleet capable of meeting the nation’s national security and commercial priorities.
It was with that in mind that Congressional leaders in April and May of 2025 introduced the Shipbuilding and Harbor Infrastructure for Prosperity and Security for America (SHIPS) Act of 2025 (H.R. 3151 / S.1541). Key provisions include:
The bipartisan, bicameral SHIPS Act was led by With Honor Action allies Senators Mark Kelly and Todd Young, alongside Representatives Trent Kelly and John Garamendi. In the year since the bill’s introduction, little progress has been made towards final passage. In February of 2026, the White House released its Maritime Action Plan, which reinforced the urgency and broad agreement on the issue. And in April, as part of our ongoing support of the SHIPS Act, With Honor Action submitted a Statement for the Record on revitalizing the shipbuilding and maritime industrial base for a joint hearing of the House Armed Services Subcommittee on Seapower and Projection Forces and the Transportation and Infrastructure Subcommittee on the Coast Guard and Maritime Transportation. Despite these developments, neither bill has made it out of committee.
However, select SHIPS Act policies found another way forward. In July 2026, Rep. Trent Kelly proposed a 180-page maritime amendment that folded much of the SHIPS Act’s substance into the House’s version of the FY27 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA). This amendment creates a $20 billion Maritime Security Trust Fund, expands maritime workforce recruitment initiatives, and outlines a federal grant program to boost domestic maritime construction. While major provisions are included, the NDAA amendment does not replace the SHIPS Act as standalone legislation. Furthermore, the Senate’s version of the FY27 NDAA does not contain any companion maritime provisions, which puts the amendment at risk once the two chambers meet to reconcile their bills in conference later this year.
The SHIPS Act has earned significant cross-sector support, from commercial shipping operators to the shipbuilding industrial base. Alongside With Honor Action, endorsers include Keystone Shipping Company, American Shipbuilding Suppliers Association, Navy League, General Dynamics-NASSCO, American Waterway Operators, and many more.
As a veteran-led and veteran-focused organization, With Honor has consistently advocated for the readiness and competitiveness of America’s maritime forces. With Honor Action endorses the SHIPS Act and calls on Congress to protect these gains through conference and finish the job of revitalizing the nation’s shipbuilding capacity. Ensuring the United States can build, crew, and sustain its fleet is an ongoing effort.
Tell Congress to Pass the SHIPS Act