Posted on May 12, 2025
U.S. Sen. Todd Young, known for co-authoring and heading up support for the $280 billion CHIPS and Science Act to boost the U.S. semiconductor industry, is now turning his focus to his SHIPS for America bill.
Young, R-Indiana, and fellow Sen. Mark Kelly, D-Arizona, reintroduced legislation April 30 to jumpstart the country’s “rusted” shipbuilding industry and increase onshore ship production that has largely shifted to China.
Young and Kelly said the country is too reliant on foreign-made ships, especially Chinese vessels, and called it a “pending national crisis.”
They reintroduced the Shipbuilding and Harbor Infrastructure for Prosperity and Security (or SHIPS) for America Act—as a means to revive a conversation about domestic shipbuilding and take financial and administrative steps to uplift the industry.
“We become overly reliant on the Chinese Communist Party that, basically, we have to play ‘Mother, May I?’ when we want to move goods out of this country and into this country,” Young said on Fox News on Tuesday.
According to the bipartisan nonprofit Center for Strategic and International Studies, China leads the world in shipbuilding with 53.3% of the industry. The U.S. has a 0.1% share of the global shipbuilding market.
U.S. President Donald Trump signed an executive order on April 9 focused on growing shipbuilding in the country. The order includes several administrative changes to improve the environment for the shipbuilding industry.
Young, who has clashed with Trump on occasion, appears to have found a common ground on this issue. Young has repeatedly co-opted Trump’s “Make America Great Again” slogan to “Make American Ships Again.”
U.S. Reps. Trent Kelly, R-Mississippi, and John Garamendi, D-California, introduced companion legislation on May 1.
What it does
The bill sets a goal of producing 250 ships domestically in a decade through the creation of the Strategic Commercial Fleet Program. That initiative would seek to develop a fleet of commercial ships built in the country and with American crews.
A committee would be established to reduce regulations, modify duties on American ships, require government-funded cargo be on U.S. ships and mandate a portion of Chinese commercial imports be delivered on U.S. ships by 2030.
A new Maritime Security Trust Fund would reinvest industry-paid duties and fees into programs supporting its growth. Other financial incentives include a 25% shipyard investment tax credit, a revolving fund for financing, and another fund to support innovative repair and building approaches.
The legislation would also invest in a workforce recruitment and development program for maritime workers.
A maritime security adviser, the Maritime Security Board and the U.S. Center for Maritime Innovation would also be created.
How Indiana stands to gain
Though Indiana is not known for its shipyards or harbors, Amrou Awaysheh, an endowed chair at Indiana University’s Kelley School of Business, said the state’s long history with manufacturing will benefit from a manufacturing resurgence in the industry.
“For anybody who’s looking to bring back manufacturing, Indiana would be at the top of the list,” he said. “Simply because we have the infrastructure, we have the will, and we have the workforce that understands how to work in this type of industry.”
Indiana, though largely landlocked, does have three ports and the Corn Island Shipyard in Spencer County. But, Hoosiers would likely see more opportunities within the supply chain than in direct shipbuilding.
If passed, Young’s Senate office told IBJ in a statement that the bill would impact Hoosiers through increased steel plants and transportation component manufacturing production. Young said on Fort Wayne’s WOWO radio station May 1 that automotive factories could be retooled to produce components for ships.
“There could be some real opportunities if you don’t have a shipyard in your state that’s being revitalized,” Young said on the radio show. “This will benefit Hoosiers in a very big way.”
Awaysheh also mentioned that Indiana is a hub for manufacturing development since its robust rail system can quickly move components around the country.
Onshoring offshored industry
It has taken decades for large portions of American manufacturing to wind down and shift outside the country, but Awaysheh said rebuilding those industries could take only a matter of years, potentially by the end of the decade.
“We’ve seen over the last I’d say three, four decades a shift away from what we call the bread and butter manufacturing jobs in America,” he said. “What we’re seeing is the rebirth of American manufacturing, or what’s called restoring.”
Bills like the SHIPS for America Act are a starting point, Awaysheh said. Reviving an industry is not going to be like flicking a switch, especially with a workforce not trained in this type of manufacturing.
“It’s definitely an achievable task,” he said about reskilling the workforce. “It just needs some focus and attention given to it.”
Awaysheh points out that modern manufacturing is totally different compared with the way it was decades ago. Strides in manufacturing, especially with digitization and automation, mean something totally different is moving back, he said, and will be faster because of that.
“It’s not your grandfather’s factory,” he said. “That’s where there is this real innovation, real drive, real advancements.”
