WASHINGTON, D.C.—This week, Senators Rick Scott and Mark Kelly (D-AZ) joined Representative Mike Waltz and 16 bipartisan, bicameral lawmakers in sending a letter to President Biden urging him to strengthen the United States’ maritime power at a moment when Communist China is extending its influence in the South China Sea and the Houthis are attacking shipping in the Red Sea.  

The group calls on the president to establish an interagency maritime policy director, designate maritime infrastructure as “critical infrastructure,” invoke the Defense Production Act for shipbuilding, and develop a whole-of-government maritime “de-risking” strategy to reduce dependency on Chinese maritime infrastructure and industry.  

The lawmakers write, “U.S. maritime infrastructure is aging, including in our naval and commercial shipyards, which once produced the world’s finest ships. We have allowed the U.S. flagged international trading fleet to decline precipitously, underinvesting in our Merchant Marine and maritime workforce to man our ships and shipyards.”

The letter also highlights the United States’ strong maritime tradition and that changing the trajectory of our shipbuilding and shipping industries won’t be quick after years of neglect. 

The lawmakers continue, “We stand at an inflection point. We must act now—before it is too late—to reinvigorate American and allied maritime power on the seas.”   

Co-signers of the letter are Senators John Boozman (R-AR), John Cornyn (R-TX), Tammy Duckworth (D-IL), and Marco Rubio (R-FL), along with Representatives James R. Baird (R-IN-4), Jack Bergman (R-MI-1), Byron Donalds (R-FL-19), Neal P. Dunn (R-FL-2), Brad Finstad (R-MN-1), C. Scott Franklin (R-FL18), John Garamendi (D-CA-8), Nick LaLota (R-NY-1), Doug Lamborn (R-CO-5), Richard McCormick (R-GA-6), James C. Moylan (R-GU- District At Large) and John H. Rutherford (R-FL-5). 

Read the letter to President Biden HERE.

###