U.S. Representative Dan Benishek has announced a bipartisan effort to secure continued funding for State Maritime Academies in the President's fiscal year 2017 budget.
In a letter to the Department of Transportation and Office of Management and Budget, members of congress urged the administration to fund the design and replacement of aging training ships.
Benishek, a republican, and Representative Joe Crowley, a democrat from New York, say in a news release that concerted investment in the maritime industry - including in the nation's six State Maritime Academies and the ships they use for training - is an essential part of the nation's economy, in addition to playing a critical role in national security.
