PROVIDENCE – The pace of U.S. shipbuilding could be hampered due to the uncertainty caused by President Donald Trump’s “unpredictable trade policies,” Jack Reed, D-R.I., said recently.
Reed warned that Trump’s tariff threats could create risks for the American maritime industry, while causing disruption to future supply chains for shipbuilders.
Rhode Island business boosts efficiency and sustainability with Rhode Island Energy
Hexagon, a global technology and software company, develops products that combine sensor, software and autonomous…
Learn More
Reed, who is the ranking member of the Senate Armed Services Committee and who also serves on the Appropriations Subcommittee on Defense, said the tariffs could also hurt submarine manufacturer General Dynamics Electric Boat, which announced that it expects to hire an additional 1,350 employees to work at its Quonset Point facility in 2025.
“Over the last several years, we’ve made significant and sustained federal investments to meet the Navy’s demand for a larger submarine fleet and to build up Rhode Island’s submarine workforce, supplier base and facilities,” Reed said. “These investments have contributed to a hiring boom in Rhode Island that should continue in 2025. However, Trump’s tariff tax threats could slow things down, disrupt supply chains, and make building submarines and other advanced manufacturing more cumbersome and expensive going forward.”
Lambasting the Trump administration’s halting of new offshore wind leases in federal waters and the pause on new permit approvals, Reed called such policies “a major blow” to the other aspects of the state’s maritime sector.
“Other nations are increasing their investment in offshore wind because it is powering their energy grids and economy, producing renewable energy and creating good-paying jobs,” Reed said. “Trump is halting these projects due to politics, not performance.”
Christopher Allen is a PBN staff writer. You may contact him at Allen@PBN.com.
