YOUNG COLUMN: SHIPS Act could benefit Hoosier workers
The following column by Senator Todd Young (R-Ind.) was originally published by the Northwest Indiana Times on June 22, 2025
By Senator Todd Young
The United States has been a maritime nation since before our founding. Sea power was a significant contributor in America’s rise to being the most powerful nation on earth.
But for too long, we have ignored the importance of ships to our economic and national security. Today, the American shipbuilding sector has eroded, our shipyards are few and far between, and the vessels built in the U.S. are often ill-equipped to cross oceans.
The result is Chinese dominance of the world’s sea lanes. China now possesses the world’s largest commercial fleet — 5,500 vessels strong, with over a thousand more built annually.
And the United States? Our fleet currently numbers 80 with, at most, five ships added a year.
Today, only a fraction of the tankers and cargo ships carrying goods to and from our country fly the American flag — by some estimates less than 0.4%. This convergence — the rise of China’s commercial shipping sector and the decline of ours — endangers our economy and weakens our Navy.
Earlier this year, President Donald Trump signaled his intent to end America’s shipbuilding decline when he signed an executive order encouraging private investment to raise new shipyards and ordering federal agencies to levy added fees on China’s vessels at American ports. The President wants to launch an American shipbuilding revival, and his urgent call to reinvigorate the U.S. maritime sector is a goal I share.
I’ve joined with a bipartisan group of colleagues to introduce the SHIPS for America Act, comprehensive legislation meant to revitalize American shipbuilding. Our bill, which shares many of the same goals as President Trump’s executive order, would provide the necessary congressional authorizations to build and man a new fleet of commercial ships. The SHIPS Act also would establish a trust fund to support an expansion of the U.S.-flagged international fleet to 250 ships by 2035.
Without a robust commercial shipyard industrial base, we lack the facilities and workforce to build and repair warships at scale in a crisis. The SHIPS Act aims to close this gap by establishing national oversight and consistent funding for U.S. maritime policy.
It would make U.S.-flagged vessels commercially competitive in international commerce by cutting red tape, rebuilding the shipyard industrial base, and expanding and strengthening mariner and shipyard worker recruitment. The SHIPS Act would help train a pipeline of new workers, encourage domestic and foreign investment in maritime infrastructure, and provide the permitting reform and deregulation that is essential for timely construction of new shipyards.
While building more American ships is good for our national security, it also will provide new opportunities for American workers, including in our state.
Indiana is home to three ports and the Corn Island Shipyard in Spencer County. Hoosier steel manufacturers could benefit from the increased need for steel to build these new ships. Small component manufacturers across the state would likely see additional demand. Since the bill’s introduction, numerous Hoosier small businesses have shared how the SHIPS Act could lead to more growth or opportunities for their workers.
Reviving American shipbuilding will take time and come at a cost — but the cost of failing to act is even greater. Congress should pass the SHIPS Act to keep pace with China, support American workers, and reclaim U.S. maritime supremacy.
It’s time to make American ships again.
Todd Young, a Republican, represents Indiana in the United States Senate.