Posted on May 1, 2026
Congressman John Garamendi (D-CA-08) Arizona Senator and U.S. Merchant Marine Academy alum Mark Kelly (D-AZ) published an op-ed in Fox News highlighting the momentum to rebuild the U.S. declining maritime industry, which poses a serious threat to U.S. national security and the economy.
With bipartisan support in Congress and overwhelming backing from maritime leaders, as well as a president who seems to recognize the urgent need to build more American ships, Garamendi and Kelly call on Congress to pass their bipartisan SHIPS for America Act. Congressman Garamendi and Senator Kelly, alongside Senator Todd Young (R-IN) and Representative Trent Kelly (R-MS-01), introduced the SHIPS for America Act to revitalize the United States shipbuilding and commercial maritime industries. Later, President Trump released his Maritime Action Plan, which mirrors the bipartisan legislation and is further proof that now is the time for Congress to act.
Read the full op-ed HERE. See key excerpts below:
