Americans agree that strong domestic shipyards are a national security imperative.
For Immediate Release: March 21, 2025
Washington, D.C. — New polling shows an overwhelming 72% of Americans agree that the United States cannot remain dependent on foreign manufacturers to build ships. The U.S. must recover shipbuilding capacity that unfair competition has eroded for decades, Alliance for American Manufacturing President Scott Paul will testify in a United States Trade Representative hearing on Monday.
Widespread agreement among Americans on U.S. shipbuilding:
- The vast majority of Americans (72%) agree that the United States cannot remain dependent on foreign manufacturers to build ships, and more than two in three survey respondents (68%) agree that our nation’s ability to build ships for both commercial and military needs is a matter of national security.
- Most Americans (71%) want the U.S. government to invest in the U.S. shipbuilding industry.
- The bulk of Americans (70%) agree that using Chinese-built drydocks to repair, maintain and retrofit our military vessels threatens U.S. national security.
- Two in three Americans (66%) agree that the U.S. government should invest in our nation’s shipbuilding industry to protect national security.
- A strong majority of Americans (56%) wants a percentage of U.S. exports to be required to be carried on U.S.-built vessels with U.S. crews.
- By a 30-point margin, 49% of Americans support implementing a docking fee on Chinese vessels.
“Beijing’s mission to dominate the global shipbuilding industry has been systematic, deliberate, and, unfortunately, highly effective,” Paul said. “America’s shipyards have been left to flounder, damaging hardworking communities throughout our country and compromising our defense readiness at a time we can ill afford it. Americans see the damage for themselves and want action.”
Paul advocated for “decisive action” in defense of the U.S. shipbuilding industry in testimony before the House Select Committee on the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) on June 26, 2024. Find his written testimony here.
Morning Consult conducted the poll in March on behalf of AAM.
Background:
The U.S. was once the world’s leading shipbuilder. However, decades of neglect coupled with unfair competition with Chinese shipyards has toppled the U.S. ranking to 19th in the world. At its peak in 1975, U.S. shipyards built more than 70 ships a year. Now, they produce fewer than five each year. Meanwhile, China is producing more than 1,700 ships annually.
On March 12, 2024, five national labor unions led by the United Steelworkers petitioned the United States Trade Representative (USTR) to launch its investigation, which AAM supported. The USTR initiated a Section 301 investigation in April 2024 and issued its finding on Jan. 16 that China has unfairly advantaged its maritime, logistics and shipbuilding industries through non-market policies and warrants “urgent action.”
Paul is available for interviews.