Seapower and Projection Forces Subcommittee

“Achieving this milestone is no small feat for a large program like this one - and it represents years of hard work by many people, especially the men and women of Electric Boat,” Courtney said. “For eastern Connecticut, today’s news underscores the positive outlook for hiring and growth across the submarine industrial base in our region. It is also, however, really just the beginning of the hard work ahead in designing and building this submarine within the already tight timeline we face. I know that the hardworking men and women in the Navy, in industry in Connecticut, Rhode Island, and Virginia, and in countless machine shops across the country, are up to the task – and today’s decision is a vote of confidence in their efforts."

“The Navy’s new assessment is confirmation of the clear reality that a larger fleet is both necessary and vital to the nation’s security,” said Courtney. “I look forward to continuing to work with my colleagues in the House to achieve this important bipartisan goal."

“This is great news for eastern Connecticut and great news for the U.S. Navy,” said Courtney. “The Columbia­-class program would face critical delays and ballooning costs without this needed adjustment to the CR. I was encouraged by the bipartisan cooperation that ensured the inclusion of this provision, and will continue to do all I can to support the design and construction of these submarines that are vital to the United States’ strategic deterrence capabilities.”

“As the ranking member for the Seapower subcommittee, I am pleased by the outcome of this year’s conference negotiations,” said Courtney. “This agreement reflects the hard bipartisan work our subcommittee did over the last year to make the key investments in our seapower and projection force capabilities that are needed now and for the future. As we transition to a new administration, this measure makes a solid down payment on growing the fleet and meeting our security challenges on, below, and above the seas. In particular, this report maintains two critical elements that I fought to retain from the House bill passed last May, but were not in the Senate bill: the expansion of the National Sea-based Deterrence Fund to authorize continuous production of components on the Ohio-class Replacement Program, and the restoration of advanced procurement funding for future Virginia-class submarines that will keep the program on track. I have worked closely with Chairman Forbes in advancing these initiatives, and I am proud that this agreement retains our hard work.”