Shaheen Petitions Secretary of the Navy on Behalf of Shipyard

**Shaheen is leading efforts against President Trump’s “emergency” declaration which will divert funding from military construction, potentially including projects at the Portsmouth Naval Shipyard**

**Later today, Senator Shaheen is scheduled to also speak with the Secretary of the Army regarding funding for New Hampshire National Guard Readiness Centers, which are also under threat**

(Washington, DC) — In an extensive conversation this morning, U.S. Senator Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH) petitioned the Secretary of the Navy Richard Spencer on behalf of funding that’s been allocated to the Portsmouth Naval Shipyard that could be diverted to build President Trump’s border wall through his so-called “emergency” declaration. The Trump administration has yet to determine which military construction projects will lose funding -- Senator Shaheen is strongly advocating to maintain funding for the Shipyard and New Hampshire National Guard which have planned projects that draw from resources that have already been approved by Congress and signed into law by President Trump. Senator Shaheen is also leading efforts in the Senate to block President Trump’s declaration through bipartisan legislation, a version of which will likely be voted on next week. 

This afternoon, Senator Shaheen is also planning to discuss a similar threat to funding for New Hampshire National Guard Readiness Centers with Secretary of the Army Mark Esper. 

“I appreciated the opportunity to speak to Secretary Spencer today to defend the funding that has been allocated for critical projects at the Shipyard,” said Shaheen. “It makes no sense to take funding from these projects, which are important to our national security, to build President Trump’s senseless border wall. In our call today, I stressed to Secretary Spencer the importance of the Portsmouth Naval Shipyard’s infrastructure development to maintaining our nation’s submarine fleet and addressing the fleet’s maintenance backlog -- the Shipyard’s role in this regard is indispensable. I look forward to working with both Secretary Spencer and Secretary Esper to protect New Hampshire’s invaluable role in the defense of our nation.” 

There are three military construction projects at the Portsmouth Naval Shipyard that could be impacted by the President’s declaration, with a total outstanding cost of approximately $162 million, and additional harm could also be felt at New Hampshire National Guard Readiness Centers. Senator Shaheen, a senior member of the Senate Appropriations Committee, fought to secure the funding for these PNSY and NHNG priorities in spending legislation that was signed into law in September.