April 17, 2025
Dear Senator:
On behalf of our affiliated unions representing hundreds of thousands of workers who build, operate, and maintain our nation’s transportation networks, the Transportation Trades Department, AFL-CIO (TTD), urges you to sign the bipartisan letter being circulated by Senator Roger Wicker (R-MS) and Senator Mazie Hirono (D-HI) requesting full funding for the Maritime Security Program (MSP) at the authorized amount in the Fiscal Year 2026 Transportation, Housing, and Urban Development (THUD) appropriations bill.
MSP is a vital part of our military sealift capability, ensuring that trained U.S. citizen mariners are available in times of crisis or disaster. This program offers a stipend to commercial shipping companies, allowing them to continue operating U.S.-flagged vessels at a fraction of the cost it would take for the federal government to replicate a similar maritime shipping capacity.
This capacity is essential for both our national security and humanitarian efforts. Additionally, it plays a crucial role in promoting good middle-class jobs in the maritime sector. Without a U.S. fleet, jobs currently held by U.S. mariners would likely be outsourced to countries with fewer labor and safety protections, where mariners often work under poor conditions for low pay. MSP helps ensure a robust pool of U.S. mariners and safeguards the existence of a domestic maritime industry, along with its significant economic benefits.
For these reasons, we urge you to sign the Wicker-Hirono FY’ 26 MSP appropriations letter that is attached, which requests full funding of the program to provide the necessary support for our military sealift capacity and the U.S. commercial maritime sector.
To sign this letter please contact Christina Sandstedt at Christina_Sandstedt@wicker.senate.gov in Senator Wicker’s office or Sydney Montgomery at Sydney_Montgomery@hirono.senate.gov in Senator Hirono’s office. Thank you for your consideration of this important request.
Sincerely,
Greg Regan, President
Transportation Trades Department, AFL-CIO