Courtney: Electric Boat’s Hiring Surge Result of Steady Congressional Action to Boost Submarine Priorities
Vernon, CT – Congressman Joe Courtney, Chairman of the House Seapower and Projection Forces subcommittee, today participated in the annual Electric Boat legislative update.
"Today's extraordinary presentation once again projects another year of expansion and growth at Electric Boat – even in the middle of the pandemic," Courtney said. "Kudos to management and labor for finding a way forward to meet the country's call to build and repair our Navy's undersea fleet. The resulting historic surge in hiring occurring today at the yard could not happen without the steady and sustained commitment of Congress, where my subcommittee has led the fight to ensure that our submarine construction and development programs have the stability and support they need. It's been sustained effort year after year with some critical battles along the way, but updates like today's show the importance of that steady and focused attention on the expansion underway at the yard and the entire supply chain."
During today's update, EB President Kevin Graney provided an outlook for 2022 that included hiring over 3,000 new employees in Connecticut and Rhode Island, more than half of which would be in Connecticut, on top of the 2,500 hired in 2021.
In his remarks, Chairman Courtney highlighted the historic authorization of $13.4 billion in submarine related production, maintenance, research and development of the FY22 National Defense Authorization Act, which President Biden signed into law last month. Courtney also noted the work that he has done as a member of the House Education and Labor Committee to boost workforce development and apprentice programs vital to Electric Boat's effort to hire and train its workforce.
"In eastern Connecticut it's been all hands on deck for nearly a decade to prepare for this boom in submarine work and the demand for skilled employees to support it -- and for good reason" Courtney added. "As today's presentation made clear, Electric Boat's reach goes far beyond Groton – with employees and suppliers across the region and the state, making the impact of this growth felt far beyond the shipyard. That makes the work we are doing every day to use the talent of our workforce boards and community colleges to find and prepare new employees for a career in shipbuilding all that more important."
"Above all else, however, today's outlook is a reminder of the hard work and dedication that over 12,000 shipbuilders and designers to every single day to support this important work," Courtney concluded. "Through COVID and beyond, they've worked tirelessly to deliver the finest submarines in the world, and they have our continued thanks for their contribution to our state and to our nation."
Chairman Courtney's Work to Support Our Region's Submarine Industrial Base
Led the effort to reverse the Trump Administration's Misguided Proposal to Cut Submarine Production. The former Trump Administration's budget requested just one submarine in 2021, which would have broken the steady two-a-year build rate that has been in place since 2011 and threatened stability at the Electric Boat shipyard. Courtney led the fight in Congress to restore that second boat.
Won Historic Support for Submarine Priorities in 2022 Defense Bill – Now Law. The 2022 National Defense Authorization Act, signed into law by President Biden last month, includes several provisions originally authored by Rep. Courtney and the Seapower Subcommittee, including funding to sustain the two-per-year build rate of Virginia-class submarines, to grow Virginia-class production to three-per-year by 2025, and to support the second year of construction on the Columbia-class submarine program. The bill also includes Courtney's signature effort to bolster the shipbuilding supply chain and upgrade the industrial base—investments that would enable workers in eastern Connecticut and across the U.S. to take on work emerging from increased submarine production, and potentially brand-new opportunities stemming from the historic AUKUS partnership. Read more here.
Secured Critical Support for Workforce Development Programs. Rep. Courtney has worked for years to grow and support eastern Connecticut's manufacturing workforce, and to prepare the region to take on emerging economic opportunities. Courtney secured some of the first-ever federal funding to start EWIB's Manufacturing Pipeline Initiative (MPI) in 2015. In his dual role as a senior member of the Education and Labor Committee and Chairman of the Seapower Subcommittee, he's advanced legislation to reinvest in and expand apprenticeship programs, and to support eastern Connecticut's undersea logistics industry.
Supporting President Biden's efforts to strengthen the submarine industrial base. Last month, Chairman Courtney praised President Biden's signing of a presidential determination aimed at strengthening the U.S. submarine industrial base. The determination found that "the capability, capacity, and workforce to meet the Virginia Class submarine undersea warfighting mission is essential to our national security" and unlocks funding for critical projects under the Defense Production Act. Read his statement here and a recent op-ed on what this means for the region.
Leadership Role in Congress. Courtney has served as Chairman of the House Seapower and Projection Forces Subcommittee since 2019 and has served on the panel since 2007. In that position, he directly oversees the Navy's shipbuilding programs, including submarine development, production, and support.
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