Pappas and Kiggans Introduce Bipartisan Legislation to Protect Shipyard Workforce, U.S. National Security

This week Congressman Chris Pappas (NH-01), a founding member of the bipartisan Public Shipyard Caucus and representative for the Portsmouth Naval Shipyard, and Congresswoman Jen Kiggans (VA-02) introduced the bipartisan Protecting Public Naval Shipyards Act. This legislation would exempt the workforces of America’s four public shipyards, which are responsible for repairing and retrofitting the U.S. Navy's aircraft carriers and submarines, from recent hiring freezes and mass layoffs. Passage of this legislation would ensure that the overhaul of America’s nuclear-powered submarine fleet continues uninterrupted by requiring the U.S. Department of Defense to exempt certain positions at public shipyards from workforce reductions. This bipartisan legislation is led in the Senate by U.S. Senators Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH), Maggie Hassan (D-NH), Susan Collins (R-ME) and Angus King (I-ME).

“The Portsmouth Naval Shipyard is a critical component of our national defense and is an economic engine for New Hampshire's Seacoast. The men and women of our Shipyard work every day with skill and patriotism to ensure our nation’s readiness and support our military for any battle that lies ahead. Their work is essential for the Portsmouth Naval Shipyard to meet its mission, and their job security should not be in question,” said Congressman Pappas. “The Department of Defense must fully exempt our public shipyards from further job cuts and hiring freezes, and I will continue fighting to ensure they provide the resources our shipyards need to ensure our country is strong and prepared for the future.”

“As a Navy veteran and representative of thousands of shipyard workers in Hampton Roads, I know firsthand that America’s public shipyards are the backbone of our fleet readiness. The men and women who maintain and modernize our subs and ships should never be caught up in bureaucratic hiring freezes that jeopardize national security. I’m glad to see bipartisan efforts in the Senate to codify exemptions for shipyard workers, and I’ll continue fighting in the House to ensure our shipyards have the skilled workforce they need to keep our Navy strong,” said Congresswoman Kiggans.

The Portsmouth Naval Shipyard (PNSY) is one of just four public shipyards nationwide that maintain the US Navy’s submarine fleet. The Shipyard is also the region's largest employer. In 2023, the latest available data, more than 7,400 civilian employees worked at the base with an economic impact exceeding $1.5 billion, according to the Seacoast Shipyard Association's 2024 report. The Shipyard is currently working to hire additional workers to increase its capacity amid a $1.87 billion dry dock expansion.

Under the current administration's most recent guidelines, the Navy is limited to hiring no more than 1,550 external personnel across all naval institutions each month – far too few to meet the demand of America’s public shipyards.

Since President Trump took office, Pappas and the New Hampshire delegation have worked to protect civilian workers who play a critical role in maintaining U.S. national security. In February, he joined workers from PNSY to discuss the impact of the administration’s job cuts and hiring freezes, which led the Shipyard to pause hiring. In March Pappas led his House colleagues in further sounding the alarm over the Trump Administration’s hiring freeze and workforce cuts. Later that month, the U.S. Department of Defense exempted the Portsmouth Naval Shipyard workforce from the civilian hiring freeze.

In July the New Hampshire Congressional delegation also called on General Steven Nordhaus, Chief of the National Guard Bureau, to exempt critical safety roles, including firefighters and air traffic controllers, from its planned 10.7% reduction to federal civilians at the Air National Guard. More than half of the civilian employees at Pease Air National Guard Base are civilian emergency personnel and air traffic controllers, and the proposed cuts could devastate the important role Pease plays in supporting emergency services in the region, including at Portsmouth International Airport.