Shaheen Statement on 2024 Portsmouth Naval Shipyard Economic Impact Report
(Washington, DC) – U.S. Senator Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH), a senior member of the U.S. Senate Armed Services Committee, issued the following statement in response to the release of the Seacoast Shipyard Association’s Annual Portsmouth Naval Shipyard Economic Impact Report for 2024:
“For 225 years, Portsmouth Naval Shipyard has played a vital role in bolstering our nation’s military readiness and security. As America’s oldest public shipyard, it continues to serve as our Navy’s most innovative maintenance facility and acts as an example for the rest of the fleet. But here in New Hampshire, it also creates thousands of jobs and supports our state and regional economies. This year’s economic impact report continues a long line of data-driven evidence that proves why our shipyard and its workers are world-class.
As Ranking Member of the Senate Committee on Foreign Relations, I also see how the ongoing maintenance done at Portsmouth contributes to our critical work with Allies and partners to deter aggression in the Indo-Pacific and elsewhere. Our AUKUS agreement with Australia and the United Kingdom relies on the professionalism and skill of our submarine maintainers in New Hampshire.”
As a co-chair of the U.S. Senate Navy Caucus and a senior member of the U.S. Senate Armed Services Committee, Senator Shaheen is New Hampshire’s strongest advocate for the New England shipbuilding industry and the shipyard workforce. In the Committee-approved National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) for Fiscal Year 2026, Shaheen secured full authorization for the Shipyard Infrastructure Optimization Program (SIOP) investments at the Portsmouth Naval Shipyard. She also secured a number of other provisions to increase capacity at the Shipyard and improve quality of life. Shaheen has a long legacy of securing the authorization and funding necessary to complete the Shipyard’s Multi-Mission Dry Dock Expansion.
In the FY26 NDAA that was advanced out of Committee, Shaheen also secured a provision exempting Portsmouth Naval Shipyard employees from the Office of Personnel Management’s (OPM) deferred resignation program for federal employees, the Department of Defense’s current civilian hiring freeze and any future hiring freezes.
###