Federal Maritime Commission requests $40 million for FY2026 as staff departures raise concerns

The Federal Maritime Commission asked Congress to keep its funding at $40 million for fiscal 2026 as the agency contends with recent personnel losses and a planned information-technology upgrade.

Commissioner Rebecca Dye, a member of the Federal Maritime Commission, told the House Subcommittee on the Coast Guard and Maritime Transportation that the FY2026 request is "level funding" from FY2025 and that the majority of the budget is earmarked for personnel, office space and information technology.

Dye said the commission budgeted $25,800,000 for employee salary and benefits, $4,200,000 for rent and security services and $6,000,000 for core IT operations and modernization. She said 13 employees left under the deferred resignation (voluntary retirement) program and that the commission is seeking OPM exemptions to hire six critical staff, primarily attorneys and economists, to restore enforcement capacity: "We're working with OPM for 6 exemptions to hire critical attorneys and economists in our flagship competition and enforcement programs," Dye said.

Why it matters: The FMC regulates ocean-borne transportation in U.S. foreign commerce and enforces rules intended to protect shippers and carriers from unfair practices. Members of the subcommittee pressed the agency on whether flat funding and recent staff losses will affect investigations, rulemakings and enforcement under the Ocean Shipping Reform Act of 2022.

Details and debate

- Staffing and hiring: Multiple members raised concerns about a roughly 20% workforce loss. Ranking Member Larson told the record that "we know the FMC has lost employees, and by our account, it's about 20%." Commissioner Dye said the agency has requested exemptions from the Office of Personnel Management to replace six positions and that leadership believes the commission retains sufficient authority and a quorum to operate.

- IT and operations: Dye said the $6 million IT investment is urgent. "We literally could not buy parts for our system because they weren't made anymore," she said, describing obsolete hardware and the need for modernization to support investigations and public-facing systems.

- Budget composition: Dye described the FY2026 $40 million request as unchanged from FY2025 and said the commission expects most dollars to support personnel and ongoing operations: "This level of funding reflects no change from the '25 enacted budget. As in past years, our budget is straightforward with the majority of funding going to personnel, office space, and important information technology."

Concerns remaining

Members repeatedly asked whether level funding will allow the FMC to sustain implementation of new authorities granted by the Ocean Shipping Reform Act of 2022 and to keep pace with a volatile global shipping market. Several members asked the agency to report back if OPM delays or denies hiring exemptions; Commissioner Dye said she expects the exemptions to be granted but provided no firm timeline.

Ending note

Commissioner Dye asked for congressional support and reiterated that the FMC will continue enforcing the Shipping Act and implementing OSRA rules with the proposed funding. The subcommittee left the record open for additional materials and for written questions to be answered after the hearing.