Senate Finally Passes It with 53 -46 Vote – Chuck Schumer and Dems LOSE

Phelan emphasized that the Trump administration’s top priority for the Department of the Navy is shipbuilding, which is years behind schedule and experiencing major cost overruns, especially for submarines and large capital warships like aircraft carriers. “I don’t think I could say shipbuilding enough times,” he said when asked about the president’s priorities.

He committed to reviewing the Navy’s current contracts and ensuring a clean audit for the Department of the Navy. “I intend to sit down day one, and we are going to go through every contract that we have and understand what exactly they say and what flexibility they do or do not give us,” Phelan stated. He also pledged to address the Constellation-class frigate program, describing it as “a mess from what it looks like” and vowing to evaluate its problems quickly.