Posted on August 8, 2025
The National Association of Waterfront Employers (NAWE) sent a letter to House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee Chairman Sam Graves (R-MO) and Ranking Member Rick Larsen (D-WA), urging Congressional leaders to incorporate the creation of a Maritime Trust Fund to serve as a dedicated funding source to support America’s maritime industrial base development.
NAWE believes a portion of the trust fund should be used to invest in domestic manufacturing of cargo handling equipment, including ship-to-shore cranes and large yard marine equipment, and to support port and terminal expansion. This mechanism would support President Trump’s “Restores America’s Maritime Dominance” Executive Order, which seeks to revitalize the U.S. maritime industrial base.
“NAWE and its members are ready to be a cornerstone in rebuilding our maritime capabilities,” said NAWE President Carl Bentzel. “Establishing a robust maritime trust fund is a critical step toward reindustrializing our ports and ensuring the security and efficiency of our supply chain.”
In the letter, NAWE recommends capitalizing the fund using maritime-generated revenue, such as penalties on foreign ships and tariffs on imported maritime equipment, to invest in domestic maritime investment. The trust fund, as proposed, would be modeled after the off-budget Highway Trust Fund and would provide economic and national security benefits by supporting strategic ports and the broader defense logistics network.
Read the full letter here.
