U.S. Senator Tammy Baldwin Secures Investment for Small Shipyards in Wisconsin

Fiscal Year 2019 Transportation, Housing and Urban Development Appropriations Bill Funds Small Shipyard Grant Program

Supports Program to Help Shipyard Economies Stay Afloat

WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senator Tammy Baldwin, a member of the Senate Appropriations Committee, worked to include $20 million for the Small Shipyard Grant Program in the Fiscal Year 2019 Transportation, Housing and Urban Development, and Related Agencies (THUD) Senate Appropriations bill.

Senator Baldwin has long supported this program that helps small shipyards, like Bay Shipbuilding in Sturgeon Bay and Fraser Shipyards in Superior, repair and modernize equipment and train workers. Because shipyards can use the funding to purchase new equipment, the program supports Made in America manufacturing and Wisconsin companies like Marine Travelift in Sturgeon Bay.

“In Wisconsin, and across America, small shipyards are considered the lifeblood of the maritime economy,” said Senator Baldwin. “Funding this program is a win for America’s small shipyards, equipment manufacturers, the workboat fleet, and jobs in all of these industries.”

The Small Shipyard Grant Program provides assistance to small shipyards to make capital improvements and train workers to remain competitive in the global marketplace. Small Shipyard grants support American manufacturers and workers that provide parts for shipbuilding, maintenance and repair services. This program was eliminated in President Trump’s proposed Fiscal Year 2019 budget.

Last year, Senators Baldwin and Bill Cassidy (R-LA) introduced the Small Shipyards and Maritime Communities Act to reauthorize the Small Shipyard Grant Program through 2020.

Senator Baldwin has been a strong champion for Wisconsin shipyards and our Made in Wisconsin economy. She was honored with the Maritime Leadership Award by the Shipbuilders Council of America last month and the 2018 Honorable Thad Cochran Leadership Award by the American Shipbuilding Suppliers Association in March.