On Wednesday, October 22, the U.S. Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation met to hear testimony from nominees for the U.S. Maritime Administration (MARAD), the Federal Maritime Commission (FMC), and the Department of Commerce. Senators had an opportunity to engage with the nominees on various maritime issues.  

Nominations List 

Stephen Carmel, for Administrator of the Maritime Administration 

Laura DiBella, for Commissioner on the Federal Maritime Commission 

Robert Harvey, for Commissioner on the Federal Maritime Commission 

Timothy Petty, for Assistant Secretary of Commerce for Oceans and Atmosphere (NOAA) 

In April 2025, the Trump Administration released a plan to “restore America’s maritime dominance.” The plan calls for efforts to expand shipbuilding capacity, ensure resilience of the maritime sector, support workforce development, enforce harbor maintenance fee collection, and promote US-ally investment in shipbuilding while reducing dependence on US trade adversaries. The chosen nominees reflect the administration’s focus on tapping maritime commercial and security professionals to move forward with its plans. Carmel brings expertise from the industry as a former Maersk Line executive and U.S. Merchant Marine graduate. DiBella and Harvey bring expertise from the state level and Petty from the federal level, all to round out a set of nominees that Committee Chair Ted Cruz (R-TX), was hopeful would work towards the administration’s plans to strengthen US maritime power by relying on key maritime industries. 

US Maritime Industrial Capacity and Workforce Development 

Throughout the hearing, Carmel reiterated his concern over the lack of industrial capacity in the maritime sector. In his opening statement, Carmel was blunt in his assessment of the overall health of the maritime industry, stating that the United States is a “formidable naval power,” but not a “true maritime power.” He expanded on this distinction in responses to Senators Bernie Moreno (R-OH) and Todd Young (R-IN), suggesting that the US has struggled with its maritime policy since the 19th century, lacks shipbuilding capacity, and is not competitive with the rest of the world. The U.S. lags behind the world, and in particular China, in the shipbuilding industry. China accounts for 53 percent of global shipbuilding and 5,500 vessels engaged in international shipping. Meanwhile, the U.S. accounts for 0.1 percent of shipbuilding and has 80 US-flagged vessels in global commerce.  

On the Democratic side, Senators Gary Peters (D-MI) and Ed Markey (D-MA) questioned the nominees on their commitment to supporting federal investment in ports, specifically supporting the Port Infrastructure Development Program (PIDP). Carmel voiced his commitment to working with Senator Peters to ensure robust funding across the maritime sector, keeping in mind inland ports along the Great Lakes. Senator Markey pressed Carmel on the impact of PIDP grant cancellations, but Carmel affirmed his unfamiliarity with U.S. energy policy. The questioning was in reference to a recent action from USDOT Secretary Sean Duffy to withdraw $679 million in funding for offshore wind projects.  

According to Carmel, strengthening the US maritime industrial capacity and global competitiveness includes adequate funding, demand generation, innovation, and workforce development. Both Carmel and Senator Young pointed to the SHIPS for America Act as a resource that captures the needs of the maritime sector. The proposed legislation seeks to establish a maritime trust fund, support a maritime workforce recruitment program, and create a tax credit for shipyard investments to support shipbuilding efforts.  

Building on maritime workforce issues, Democratic Senators Peters and Jackie Rosen (D-NV) voiced their concerns over workforce shortages at NOAA. They wanted to hear the nominees confirm their commitment to keeping adequate staffing levels at the agency. In his response to both senators, Petty committed to ensuring that the agency’s priorities are met. He also assured the senators that NOAA can build relationships with other agencies to aid NOAA in important research. While his response did not directly dodge the question, it was an indication that leveraging resources at other agencies is a strategy to ensure NOAA’s work continues, even with its own staffing shortages. The questioning from Democratic senators suggested that they were concerned with the ability for agencies to function with a reduced workforce, in reference to the Trump administration’s push to reduce the size of the federal workforce earlier in the year.  

A key takeaway from the discussion was the bipartisan interest in understanding the health of the U.S. maritime sector. Members across the aisle converged on the need to address maritime weaknesses—ranging from shipbuilding competitiveness and port investments to workforce development. The tone reflected a sense of urgency to address weaknesses in the maritime sector. However, Democratic senators reference to grant cancellations and staffing shortages underscored their criticisms of the Trump administration.  

FMC Oversight on Trade Practices 

Chairman Cruz engaged with the two FMC Commissioner nominees on the overall mission of the FMC and how they plan to keep the FMC within its bounds of authority. Harvey and DiBella provided their understanding of the FMC’s work to ensure fair trade agreements, and its responsibility towards ensuring a competitive maritime system. To that end, DiBella added in her response to Ranking Member Maria Cantwell (D-WA) regarding the FMC’s work that there is a need for the commission to provide oversight in the maritime sector. Both the chair and ranking member recognized the value of the FMC, but the chair’s question signaled a caution to the nominees that the FMC should not overreach its power.