Washington, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senator Susan Collins released the following statement on the Department of Defense’s announcement exempting the shipyard workforce from the civilian hiring freeze:
“The men and women who work at the Portsmouth Naval Shipyard and shipyards across the country are critical members of our defense industrial base, without whom the ability to repair, retrofit and refuel our country’s nuclear submarines would be in jeopardy,” said Senator Collins. “I am thankful the Department of Defense has elected to exempt our nation’s shipyards from the hiring freeze, and I will continue to work with the Department and advocate for the Shipyard and our shipyard workforce to make sure their critical work is able to continue unimpeded.”
Last month, Senator Collins and U.S. Senator Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH) sent a bipartisan letter to the U.S. Department of the Navy urging an exemption for Portsmouth Naval Shipyard employees from the Office of Personnel Management’s (OPM) deferred resignation program for federal employees. In their letter to Acting Secretary Terence G. Emmert, the Senators noted that any reduction to the Shipyard’s workforce would jeopardize our nation’s security by increasing submarine maintenance timelines.
Senator Collins has long advocated for Maine’s shipbuilding and ship repair industry and workforce, including through appropriating funding and securing workforce development initiatives for PNSY. Senator Collins secured $401 million for a Shipbuilding Infrastructure Optimization Program (SIOP) project at PNSY in 2025, which will help to expand the Shipyard’s capacity to maintain America’s fast-attack submarine fleet.
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