Golden Statement on Release of Defense Subcommittee Appropriations Bill

House Defense Subcommittee Appropriations Bill rejects proposed DDG-51 cut

WASHINGTON — Congressman Jared Golden (ME-02) released a statement today following the release of the Fiscal Year 2022 Defense Subcommittee Appropriations Bill. The bill appropriates funds for two DDG-51 destroyers, rejecting the reduction sought by the Biden Administration in their budget request a month earlier.

Over the last four weeks, Golden has used his position on the House Armed Services Committee to fight against the reduction, which could have severe consequences for both the shipbuilding workforce at Bath Iron Works (BIW) and American naval capabilities around the globe.     

“We’ve been working for weeks to restore approval and funding for a DDG-51 destroyer in next year’s defense budget. Today’s news puts the delegation in a strong starting position to defeat this ill-advised cut proposed by the president’s administration,” said Golden.                

The subcommittee’s bill is the first indication that Congress will fund a second DDG-51 in the next fiscal year, despite the administration’s budget proposal to cut funding of the ship. After the administration released its proposal to reduce DDG-51 shipbuilding, Golden has forcefully made the case that such a cut should be reversed.          

“I’m pleased that my colleagues recognize the need for this second destroyer,” continued Golden. “As we work to pass new defense authorization and appropriations into law, I’ll continue to work with my colleagues in the House to build the shipbuilding budget that the nation needs for our national security.” 

Golden’s actions to reverse the administration’s requested reduction in DDG-51 shipbuilding include:

Golden confronted Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin on the need for additional DDG-51s expressed by his own combatant commanders and pressed the secretary for specifics on his earlier statements that the DDG-51 cut in FY2022 would be added in FY2023. 

Questioning acting Secretary of the Navy Thomas Harker and Chief of Naval Operations Adm. Michael Gilday, Golden prosecuted a detailed case against the reduction in DDG-51 shipbuilding. Golden pointed to the long-term impact on the Navy’s strategic capabilities, as well as the ability of the defense industrial base to meet shipbuilding needs in the future.

In a separate hearing, Golden pressed Navy brass on how their own branch’s assessments of the DDG-51’s importance to the capabilities of the fleet squared with the decision to reduce the number of the ships, pointing in particular to the DDG-51’s SPY-6 radar capability. He also focused on the wild inconsistency of the signals coming from the Navy on future shipbuilding and highlighted the impact that uncertainty would have on shipyards and the shipbuilding workforce. 

Golden and Rep. Chellie Pingree (ME-01) brought the Chairman of House Armed Forces Seapower Subcommittee Joe Courtney to Bath Iron Works to highlight the significance of the DDG-51 to the Navy’s mission, as well as the ships importance to shipbuilding industrial base. 

Immediately upon hearing reports that a reduction in DDG-51 production would be included in the president’s budget request, Golden and the members of the Maine delegation sent a letter to President Biden urging the commander in chief to reverse the reduction.

Golden and the members of the Maine delegation expressed their opposition to the reduction in DDG-51 production and committed to fighting the change immediately upon release of the president’s budget request.