Collins, King Push for More Pentagon Funding for Bath Iron Works as Iran War Debate Looms

BATH, Maine — Maine’s two U.S. senators made a coordinated push Thursday to secure continued Pentagon funding for additional Navy destroyers at Bath Iron Works, warning that inconsistent federal contracts could threaten one of Maine’s most critical industries and weaken America’s naval readiness at a time of growing global instability.

Republican Sen. Susan Collins and Independent Sen. Angus King visited the Bath shipyard alongside Chief of Naval Operations Admiral Daryl Caudle, where they toured manufacturing and training facilities and met with shipyard employees and leadership to discuss the long-term priorities of the yard and its workforce.

Throughout the visit, the message from Maine’s delegation was clear: predictable federal investment is essential not only to sustain Bath Iron Works’ workforce, but also to maintain the nation’s military strength in an increasingly dangerous world.

The senators sharply criticized the Trump administration’s proposed federal budget for next year, which includes funding for only one Bath-built destroyer, a move they argued could create instability in the shipbuilding pipeline.

“That makes no sense whatsoever given that China keeps increasing the size of its fleet, which by the year 2030 is expected to approach 400 ships, and we are at 296 ships,” Collins said.

Bath Iron Works currently constructs DDG-51 destroyers, widely regarded as the backbone of the U.S. Navy fleet, completing roughly one vessel each year. The shipyard’s most recent vessel, the Harvey Barnum, departed last month.

King emphasized the strategic importance of the destroyer fleet, describing the vessels as indispensable to global operations.

“The DDG is the workhorse of the navy, literally. They’re everywhere there is a hot spot in the world,” King said.

During their tour, Collins and Admiral Caudle reviewed shipyard operations and workforce training initiatives, highlighting ongoing recruitment and training efforts designed to strengthen the next generation of shipbuilders. They stressed that a steady and predictable demand signal from the Pentagon is essential to sustain production not only at Bath Iron Works, but across its extensive supplier network.

Senator Collins also highlighted funding she secured through the recently enacted defense appropriations bill aimed at strengthening the shipbuilding industrial base at Bath Iron Works. The funding includes investments in shipyard infrastructure, advance procurement for DDG-51 destroyers, and workforce wage enhancements designed to support recruitment and retention.

The senators warned that even short disruptions in shipbuilding contracts can have long-term consequences for skilled labor, consequences that are difficult to reverse.

“When there is a disconnect in the construction schedule, it takes years to recover,” King said. “If we lose a welder here because there isn’t work here for a couple of months, we’ll never get him or her back.”

Collins echoed those concerns, emphasizing that multi-year contracts offer stability not only for workers but also for taxpayers.

“We always like to have multi-year contracts, because it gives predictability, stability, and helps with the workforce,” Collins said.

King added that multi-year procurement strategies ultimately save taxpayer dollars.

“Multi-year contracts are good for the taxpayers, because they lower the cost per unit,” he said.

The visit also included a ribbon-cutting ceremony for Bath Iron Works’ new Pier Support Center, a four-story facility supported by $12 million in federal funding secured by Collins. The building provides mechanical workspaces, training areas, locker facilities, and support infrastructure for workers involved in waterborne construction.

Collins said discussions with Navy leadership suggest that funding for additional destroyers could still be prioritized despite the administration’s initial budget proposal.

“He has told me that he expects that a request for another DDG-51 will rank very high, if not at the very top of the unfunded priorities list,” Collins said.

Bath Iron Works currently has 11 Navy destroyers under construction or in the production pipeline, providing what officials describe as a stable workload projected to last four to five years. Still, both senators warned that long-term security for Maine workers depends heavily on continued congressional support and Pentagon commitment.

At least three missile-armed destroyers built in Bath, including the USS Spruance and USS Thomas Hudner, are currently deployed in the Persian Gulf region and involved in military operations tied to the ongoing conflict with Iran.

Collins expressed hope that the conflict remains limited and achieves its military objectives without escalating further.

“My hope has always been that this would be a brief but successful conflict that would eliminate the ballistic missiles that Iran uses as a shield for its nuclear enrichment and development of a nuclear weapon,” Collins said.

Despite backing a strong naval presence, both Collins and King made clear they oppose the deployment of U.S. ground troops into Iran should the fragile ceasefire collapse — a position reflecting growing public concern about deeper involvement in another prolonged Middle East conflict.

King went further, raising concerns about constitutional authority and the lack of congressional oversight surrounding the conflict.

“I consider it an abdication of our responsibility to stand by and watch a president unilaterally take the country to war, costing the United States taxpayers something on the order of $1 to $2 billion a day, 13 American lives, hundreds injured, thousands killed and wounded in the region without consulting with the American people, and the American people’s representatives are in Congress,” King said.

For Maine, the debate over defense funding is not an abstract policy fight in Washington, it carries direct consequences for thousands of working families across the state.

Bath Iron Works remains one of Maine’s largest private employers, and decisions made in Washington about shipbuilding contracts ripple through local communities, small businesses, and supply chains across the region.

As geopolitical tensions rise and global competition intensifies, Maine’s senators appear determined to ensure Bath Iron Works remains central to America’s naval strength, and that Maine workers remain at the forefront of building the ships that defend the nation.