April 1, 2026
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 and Senator Mazie Hirono requesting full funding for the Maritime Security Program (MSP) at the authorized amount in the Fiscal Year 2027 Transportation, Housing, and Urban Development (THUD) appropriations bill and in addition, that a defense 302(b) allocation in the authorized amount be provided to the THUD Appropriations Subcommittee to ensure sufficient funding for MSP as has been done in preceding years.
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 27 MSP appropriations letter, 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 Emily Yetter (Emily_Yetter@wicker.senate.gov) with Senator Wicker and Sydney Montgomery (Sydney_Montgomery@hirono.senate.gov) with Senator Hirono before Monday, April 20th, the THUD deadline.
Sincerely,
Greg Regan, President
Transportation Trades Department, AFL-CIO
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LETTER TEXT:
Dear Chairman Collins, Ranking Member Murray, Chairman Hyde-Smith and Ranking Member Gillibrand:
We are writing to request that you fund the Maritime Security Program (MSP) at the authorized level in the FY 2027 Transportation, Housing and Urban Development, and Related Agencies (THUD) Appropriations Bill.
MSP is a vital component of our military strategic sealift and global response capability. It is designed to ensure that the United States has U.S.-flag commercial sealift capability and trained U.S. citizen merchant mariners available in times of war or national emergencies. MSP also ensures that the U.S. can provide our troops overseas with the supplies and equipment they need to do their jobs on behalf of our nation.
MSP is a cost-effective public-private partnership between the U.S. government and the U.S.-flag shipping industry. The program uses existing U.S. maritime private-sector capabilities at a fraction of the cost of what it would require of the federal government. MSP contractors, who continuously develop and maintain modern logistics systems, are able to provide enhanced vessel capacity and global intermodal transportation systems to the Department of Defense. The cost to the federal government of replicating the vessels and intermodal system is estimated at least $65 billion.
Without a viable U.S.-flag commercial fleet and the American merchant mariners this fleet supports, the United States would be unable to deploy military forces on a global scale and deliver the supplies and equipment American troops need to do their job on behalf of the American people.
We ask that you continue to support this highly efficient and low-cost public-private partnership at the authorized level as you consider funding levels for FY 2027 in your subcommittee’s appropriations bill.
Thank you for your consideration of this request.