Senate Commerce Committee grills four nominees on plans to rebuild U.S. maritime capacity, enforce shipping rules and shore up NOAA science

The Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation on Oct. 24 heard testimony from four administration nominees who outlined priorities to revive American commercial shipping and ports, enforce new ocean-shipping rules and strengthen NOAA's scientific capacity.

Nominees Stephen Carmel for administrator of the U.S. Maritime Administration (MARAD), Laura Dibella and Robert Harvey for commissioner positions at the Federal Maritime Commission (FMC), and Timothy Petty for assistant secretary of commerce for oceans and atmosphere and deputy administrator of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) each described how they would approach industry, regulatory and scientific problems if confirmed.

The committee opened with statements from Chairman Ted Cruz and Ranking Member Maria Cantwell. Cruz emphasized maritime security, shipbuilding and workforce development in the face of global competition; Cantwell pressed nominees on fisheries staffing, stock assessments and NOAA resource needs, saying the seafood industry supports “2,300,000 jobs” and that NOAA has lost “at least 576 fishery staffers, nearly 1 in 5” under the current administration.

Why it matters: Senators called the hearing a crossroad for national-security and economic policy. Senators highlighted that U.S.-flag commercial shipping is a small share of global capacity (Cruz and Sen. Mark Kelly cited roughly 80 U.S.-flag ships versus thousands under foreign flags) and argued that rebuilding domestic shipbuilding and maritime workforce pipelines affects supply-chain resilience, military sealift and coastal economies.

Key nominee statements and committee exchanges

Stephen Carmel, nominee for MARAD administrator, said the U.S. must restore industrial capacity and stable demand for U.S.-flag carriage to attract investment and grow the fleet. Carmel described shipbuilding as “very narrowly focused” in the United States and said U.S. shipyards currently cannot build many internationally relevant vessels. He called for a “financial framework,” demand generation, workforce development and innovation to implement legislative tools such as the Ships for America Act (the “SHIPS Act”). Carmel said the SHIPS Act and the administration's executive order give levers and stability to rebuild capacity, and warned that without legislative permanence, progress will be slow and fragile.

Senators pressed Carmel about the Port Infrastructure Development Program (PDIP) after reports that some grants were canceled. Carmel said he was not familiar with the specific cancellations and committed to review the facts if confirmed. Senator Edward Markey and others criticized reported, administratively driven grant cancellations and pressed Carmel to restore trust in grant programs.

Laura Dibella and Robert Harvey, nominees to the FMC, pledged to enforce the Ocean Shipping Reform Act of 2022 and to stay within the agency's statutory authority to maintain a competitive and reliable ocean-transport system. Dibella, who described prior roles including port director and state commerce secretary, said she would focus on transparency and systematic review of bottlenecks such as detention and demurrage charges. Harvey, who described a background in law, finance and economic development, emphasized enforcement tools and adjudication to deter unlawful or anti-competitive conduct.

Several senators asked both nominees whether they would use the Ocean Shipping Reform Act’s expanded tools. Dibella and Harvey each said yes, pledging vigorous enforcement and greater transparency to protect shippers, exporters and importers from unfair practices by large carrier alliances.

Timothy Petty, the NOAA nominee, described his scientific and water-policy background and pledged to prioritize stock assessments, regional climate services and timely regulatory work. Cantwell and others asked Petty about renewing incidental take regulations that enable certain geophysical activities used in offshore oil and gas work; Petty said he would review priorities immediately if confirmed and committed to ensuring regulations meet statutory requirements while moving permitting in a timely manner.

NOAA staffing, surveys and algal blooms were a recurring focus. Senators repeatedly asked Petty about restoring NOAA capacity and funding for fisheries stock assessments, harmful algal bloom detection and regional climate centers. Petty said he would advocate for resources and coordination across federal partners to meet those missions.

Other themes raised by senators

- Jones Act and workforce: Members asked Carmel about support for the Jones Act and for training and recruitment to address mariner shortages; Carmel said he supports the Jones Act and stressed creating stable career pathways and supporting training programs for both licensed and unlicensed mariners.

- Ready Reserve Force: Senators said the Ready Reserve Force and other sealift assets have suffered from underinvestment. Carmel said fixes require both recapitalization and demand for U.S.-flag cargo, and he endorsed efforts to acquire ships while noting some stopgap measures are being considered.

- Port modernization and technology: Senators and nominees discussed automation, blockchain and other innovations to increase port productivity while preserving jobs. Carmel said technology should enhance labor productivity rather than displace workers.

- Alaska permitting and NOAA priorities: Senator Dan Sullivan pressed Petty to expedite permitting and biological opinions for projects in Alaska, including a MARAD grant for Port of Adak. Petty committed to working to reduce delays and to coordinate among agencies.

Votes and formal actions

No committee vote or formal action on the nominations occurred during the hearing. Senators set deadlines for written questions and received letters of support entered into the record.

Context and next steps

The hearing served as a policy preview: nominees signaled support for a mix of regulatory enforcement, grant and financing programs, workforce training and technology adoption to revive commercial maritime capability and to shore up NOAA science. Senators from coastal, Great Lakes and inland states pressed nominees for commitments to fair distribution of port infrastructure funding and to restoring NOAA’s scientific workforce. If confirmed, nominees’ ability to implement many proposals would depend on forthcoming rulemaking, appropriations and pending legislation such as the SHIPS Act and existing statutory authorities including the Ocean Shipping Reform Act of 2022.

Ending note

Committee members said they expect prompt cooperation from the nominees on written questions and follow-up briefings; senators set deadlines for submitting and answering questions for the record and the hearing record will remain open for additional materials.