NEWPORT NEWS, Va. — For more than 135 years, Newport News Shipbuilding has been cranking out more than 800 ships.
It's the nation's sole designer, builder and refueler of nuclear-powered aircraft carriers and one of only two shipyards in the country capable of designing and building nuclear-powered submarines for the U.S. Navy.
House Armed Services Committee Chairman Rep. Mike Rogers (R-Alabama) along with Rep. Jen Kiggans (R-Virginia, 2nd District), Rep. Joe Courtney (D-Connecticut) and Rep. Rob Wittman (R-Virginia, 1st District) toured the more than 550 acre facility on Tuesday, meeting with shipyard executives and workers.
On Wednesday, Rogers said he hopes Congress continues to maintain the two Virginia Class submarines per year construction cadence in Fiscal Year 2025.
"We want to send a clear signal to China we're staying on an aggressive pace to make sure we're going to be able to deter any aggression that they may have in mind in the Indo-Pacific," he said, in an interview with 13News Now.
Rogers' committee approved two Virginia Class subs for FY'25. But the House Appropriations Committee and the Senate Armed Services Committee only fully approved one.
Kiggans said that's a mistake.
"We will fight tooth and nail to get that second submarine build back in there. It's disappointing that we don't have more support coming from the administration, but they provided a defense budget I don't agree with," she said.
Roger said in the end, he is confident.
"You know, the hay's not in the barn until the hay's in the barn. But I'm feeling pretty good about it," he said.
The full House and full Senate have yet to vote on the matter.
During Tuesday’s tour, the congressional delegation saw construction progress on both the Columbia and Virginia-class as well as on Gerald R. Ford-class aircraft carriers. They also witnessed how NNS is innovating with technology, including fixture-based manufacturing, to increase efficiencies across the shipyard.
Briefings from shipyard leadership included updates on workforce development efforts and initiatives to enhance the work experience for shipbuilders and sailors, including a recently announced 2,000-space parking garage.
Newport News Shipbuilding President Jennifer Boykin said in a news release: “We understand the critical impact aircraft carriers and submarines have to our national security mission, and this visit further underscores our responsibility to the Navy and to our nation.”
Besides the shipyard, the representatives also met with U.S. Fleet Forces Admiral Daryl Caudle, visited privatized military housing, toured Naval Air Station Oceana, and got on board the aircraft carrier USS Gerald R. Ford.