A bipartisan group of 76 Members of the House of Representatives have urged their colleagues to approve full funding for the Maritime Security Program in Fiscal Year 2018. The effort, led by the Chairman and Ranking Member of the House Seapower Subcommittee, Congressmen Rob Wittman (R-VA) and Joe Courtney (D-CT), supports the full $300 million for MSP that has previously been authorized by the Congress.
In their statement, the Representatives noted that “MSP is a vital component of our military and strategic sealift and global response capability. It is designed to ensure that the United States has the U.S.-flag commercial sealift capability and trained U.S. citizen merchant mariners available in times of war or national emergencies. MSP also ensures that the U.S. can provide our troops overseas with the supplies and equipment necessary to do their job on behalf of our nation.”
A similar bipartisan effort is presently underway in the United States Senate, led by the Chairman of the Senate Seapower Subcommittee, Senator Roger Wicker (R-MS).
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