Rep. Courtney Tapped to Serve as Ranking Member of the House Seapower and Projection Forces Subcommittee

WASHINGTON, DC - Yesterday evening, Congressman Joe Courtney (CT-02) was selected to serve as Ranking Member of the influential House Armed Services Subcommittee on Seapower and Projection Forces. The Seapower Subcommittee is responsible for authorization and oversight of all U.S. Navy shipbuilding, including submarine construction, and has played an increasingly important role in growing America's skilled manufacturing workforce to meet rising demand. Rep. Courtney previously served as Chairman of the Seapower Subcommittee in the 116^th and 117^th Congresses, and as Ranking Member he will serve as the top Democrat on the historically bipartisan panel for the 118^th Congress.

"As the Representative in Congress for eastern Connecticut-the 'Submarine Capital of the World,' home to thousands of shipbuilders and to many U.S. Navy sailors-I am honored to be selected as Ranking Member of the House Seapower and Projection Forces Subcommittee," said Rep. Courtney. "The weight of issues taken on by the House Armed Services Committee has historically made it one of the most bipartisan spaces in Congress, and the same is true for the Seapower Subcommittee. On Seapower, our work is cut out for us. Congress is mandated to 'provide and maintain a Navy,' and our panel has direct oversight of all U.S. Navy shipbuilding. As the immediate past Chairman of the Subcommittee, I'm proud of the work we were able to accomplish over the past several years. We fought off predations to the Virginia-class submarine program and kept our two-per-year build rate going strong; we shepherded the new Columbia-class submarine program across the finish line, turning it from an idea into a cold, hard, national security priority; we made new investments to grow America's shipyards and our manufacturing workforce to take on even more work as demand continues to grow; and we even advanced Congress's first official 'endorsement' of the new AUKUS defense alliance as part of our 2023 NDAA."

"These are just a few examples of the work we were able to accomplish together on the Seapower Subcommittee over the past few years," Courtney continued. "All of it has been critically important for our U.S. Navy, it has been crucial for the continued growth we've seen throughout eastern Connecticut's shipbuilding and manufacturing sectors, and we've gotten it done by working together, across the aisle, in bipartisan fashion. As Ranking Member in the new 118^th Congress, that's the same approach I'll continue to bring with me every day. I also want to congratulate Congressman Trent Kelly (R-MS), who will serve as our new Chairman on Seapower. I've been grateful to work with Congressman Kelly over the years, and I've come to know him as someone who works hard, and who will work with anyone for the benefit of our Navy. We have some big priorities to accomplish and new challenges to overcome, and I'm ready to get to work for the benefit of our Navy, our Marine Corps, and our airlift and sealift forces whose operations fall under our Subcommittee's jurisdiction."

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