Transportation, Housing and Urban Development, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act, 2016

Floor Speech

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Mr. WICKER. Mr. President, I join today with my good friend, Senator Hirono, to address the requirement for full authorized funding of the Maritime Security Program. Senator Hirono and I serve together on the Seapower Subcommittee and firmly believe that this program is important to our national security.

The United States needs a U.S.-flag merchant marine that is strong, active, competitive, and useful to the military. Our merchant marine has a long history of providing sealift support to our Armed Forces for global military operations. The Maritime Security Program is a unique public-private partnership that helps the merchant marine, enhancing America's commercial sealift capability while saving the American taxpayer billions of dollars.

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Mr. WICKER. The Senate version of the Transportation-HUD Appropriations Bill for fiscal year 2017 includes $275 million for the Maritime Security Program. This is an increase of $65 million above the enacted level for fiscal year 2016. Although we are pleased that the Senate Appropriations Committee has recommended this increase in funding, we hasten to point out that Congress acted last December to increase the authorization level for the Maritime Security Program to $299,997,000 for fiscal year 2017. The House Appropriations Committee has recommended funding for the next fiscal year that would meet this authorization.

As this appropriations bill works its way through Congress, we urge the chairs and ranking members of the Transportation-HUD Appropriations Subcommittees and the full Appropriations Committee to work in a bipartisan, bicameral fashion to provide funding for the Maritime Security Program at its fully authorized level of $299,997,000 for fiscal year 2017.

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Mr. WICKER. I would like to add a comment from the current TransCom commander, GEN Darren McDew. In January, General McDew said, ``As a military professional and senior leader, I think about and plan for what the future may hold, and I would tell you we must prepare for the real possibility we will not enjoy the uncontested seas and broad international support experienced in 1991. If either of those possibilities becomes reality, and if we remain committed to responding to security incidents around the globe, the only way of guaranteeing we decisively meet our national objectives is with U.S. ships operated by U.S. mariners.''

I thank Senator Hirono for joining me in this effort to ensure that full funding is secured for the Maritime Security Program in fiscal year 2017.

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