Rep. Gillen Reviews U.S. Merchant Marine Academy Modernization Efforts with U.S. Maritime Administrator
A video of the full remarks is available HERE.
WASHINGTON, DC — Congresswoman Laura Gillen (D-NY-04), Vice Ranking Member of the Coast Guard and Maritime Transportation Subcommittee on the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, touted the importance of modernizing the U.S. Merchant Marine Academy during a budget hearing with U.S. Maritime Administration Administrator Stephen Carmel.
Nassau County is home to the U.S. Merchant Marine Academy at Kings Point, New York, one of the nation’s five Service Academies. For more than 80 years, the Merchant Marine Academy has been the pride of Long Island, preparing generations of Americans to serve our country and strengthen our maritime and national security.
Since taking office, Rep. Gillen has been a champion for Kings Point, including co-leading bipartisan legislation with Rep. Andrew Garbarino (R-NY-02) to authorize more than $1 billion for a full-scale modernization of the campus. In April, Rep. Gillen led a bipartisan group of lawmakers in a visit to the Academy to review the Campus Modernization Plan, meet with students and faculty and assess the urgent infrastructure needs across the campus.
On reviewing U.S. Merchant Marine Academy Modernization efforts with Administrator Carmel
Rep. Gillen: “I’m proud to co-lead bipartisan legislation, introduced by my colleague from Long Island, Representative Andrew Garbarino, to authorize more than $1 billion for a full-scale campus modernization of the Academy. And I’m glad that Secretary Duffy and the Trump Administration have made it a priority to help secure these much-needed upgrades.”
“Administrator Carmel, I’m glad to see that the budget request acknowledges the need for improvements and provides the funding needed to carry them out. Can you walk us through the request, and also explain how critical this investment is to our defense readiness and a strong commercial maritime industry?”
Administrator Carmel: “Kings Point does play a critical role in the nation's economic and national security. Kings Point is a primary source, for instance, of strategic sealift officers. Graduates from Kings Point are all SSOs if they don't go active duty somewhere. And so that's where the leadership, a variety of areas, in our industry and the military come from.
“In order to attract the right caliber of students, we need to be able to attract the right caliber of faculty, and we need to have the appropriate facilities for them to flourish in their academic endeavors and be able to learn in a way that's important. They shouldn't have to wake up in the morning and worry about whether or not their hot water is going to work, which is where we were.”
“And so Secretary Duffy's work there, your work there, and work of the committee is indispensable in getting us there. Funny thing about money, you always need more. And so we'll certainly look to move on that down the road. But Kings Point as an institution is extremely important, as important as the other four academies are to the economic and security interests of the United States.”
Rep. Gillen: “Well, I thank you for your support. Some of my colleagues may not be aware that many of the barracks at this academy were put up in the '40s as temporary structures, and those are still the structures that are standing there today. There's another building that is literally about to fall into the sea, and you can't even go into it. So we really need these repairs. I appreciate your support for this project.”
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