Top Navy Official Praises Portsmouth Naval Shipyard, Hardworking Employees

Click HERE to watch Senator Collins Question Asst. Navy Secretary Steven Iselin about PNSY

Note to Assignment Editors and News Directors: Click HERE for high quality video of Senator Collins Questioning Asst. Navy Secretary about PNSY

Washington, D.C.—During a Senate Appropriations Committee hearing this morning, U.S. Senator Susan Collins, a senior member of the Committee, expressed her support for the inclusion of funding for three projects at the Portsmouth Naval Shipyard (PNSY) in the President’s fiscal year (FY) 2017 budget request.  Earlier this year, Senator Collins sent a letter to the Senate Appropriations Committee expressing her support for these crucial investments.

“I’m very pleased to see that the President’s budget request includes funding for three very important project requests at the Portsmouth Naval Shipyard in Kittery, Maine,” said Senator Collins.  “[Portsmouth Naval Shipyard] is considered the gold standard.  It’s the most productive of our four public shipyards…I’m very proud of the workers there.”

Assistant Navy Secretary Steven Iselin, who testified at the hearing, thanked Senator Collins for her support of the proposed funding for the facilities at PNSY.  He went on to reveal, “I was stationed [at PNSY] 30 years ago and have a fondness in my heart.  I had a broken thumb set at that medical facility and it was old then and it’s older now, so we’re happy to be able to make those investments.”

Secretary Iselin also remarked that he visited the shipyard last year and “was really pleased to see how far it’s come over the last couple of decades and the pride of the workforce in what they do.”

The projects in the President’s FY 2017 budget request and supported by Senator Collins include:

• Unaccompanied Housing at Portsmouth Naval Shipyard.  $17.8 million for the consolidation of unaccompanied housing at Portsmouth Naval Shipyard.
• Utility Improvements for Nuclear Platforms at Portsmouth Naval Shipyard. $30.1 million for utility improvements for nuclear platforms at Portsmouth Naval Shipyard.
• Portsmouth Navy Shipyard Medical/Dental Clinic Replacement.  $27 million to construct a replacement medical/dental clinic at PNSY.

“I am particularly pleased to see that funding of $27 million has been requested to replace the medical and dental clinic,” said Senator Collins.  “That facility is over 100 years old and it does not meet standards for safety, for accessibility and it does not allow for a smooth and efficient delivery of services, as you might imagine, given the age of the building. So I just want to go on record in support of those three projects and to thank you for including them and recognizing their importance.”