The legislation has been signed into law by the President.
Washington, D.C. – U.S. Senator Susan Collins, Vice Chair of the Senate Appropriations Committee and Subcommittee on Defense, announced that she secured $100 million for Portsmouth Naval Shipyard (PNSY) in the national security supplemental legislation that passed Congress and has been signed into law by the President. The funding will be used to cover additional costs related to the expansion of PNSY’s Multi-Mission Drydock #1.
“The talented men and women at Portsmouth Naval Shipyard play an important role in maintaining our Navy fleet and enhancing our national security,” said Senator Collins. “I have long advocated for the Navy to address the modernization needs at PNSY, and this funding for Multi-Mission Drydock #1 is critical to increasing the shipyard’s capacity and capability to accommodate additional submarines.”
The funding for PNSY is part of $3.3 billion included in the package to strengthen the U.S. submarine industrial base to enable increased production and support the AUKUS agreement. AUKUS is, in part, an arrangement for Australia to acquire conventionally-armed, nuclear-powered submarines with the help of the United States and the United Kingdom, which will further enhance security cooperation in the Indo-Pacific.
Earlier this month at hearing with top Pentagon officials, Senator Collins highlighted the role federal funding plays in supporting the critical work being done at PNSY to maintain our Navy’s fleet, calling the Shipyard in Kittery the “gold standard.”
Senator Collins also secured key funding to support drydock repairs and other projects at PNSY in the Fiscal Year 2024 Defense appropriations bill that was signed into law in March.
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