Restoring America's Maritime Dominance, Executive Order 14269, April 9, 2025
Implements a detailed plan to revitalize the domestic maritime and shipbuilding capacity and its relevant workforce, directing the heads of several agencies and DOGE to work together to invest in and expand the Maritime Industrial Base. Plans include an assessment of options such as the Defense Production Act and the use of an Office of Strategic Capital loan program.
From the Order:
Section 1. Purpose. The commercial shipbuilding capacity and maritime workforce of the United States has been weakened by decades of Government neglect, leading to the decline of a once strong industrial base while simultaneously empowering our adversaries and eroding United States national security. Both our allies and our strategic competitors produce ships for a fraction of the cost needed in the United States. Recent data shows that the United States constructs less than one percent of commercial ships globally, while the People's Republic of China (PRC) is responsible for producing approximately half.
Rectifying these issues requires a comprehensive approach that includes securing consistent, predictable, and durable Federal funding, making United States-flagged and built vessels commercially competitive in international commerce, rebuilding America's maritime manufacturing capabilities (the Maritime Industrial Base), and expanding and strengthening the recruitment, training, and retention of the relevant workforce.