A bipartisan group of senators is making headlines with new legislation aimed at protecting America’s public shipyards from federal hiring freezes and workforce reductions.

But beneath the political noise, the real story is about an administration and a defense secretary determined to streamline a bloated federal hiring process while still safeguarding America’s national security.

The bill — dubbed the Protecting Public Naval Shipyards (PSNY) Act — was introduced Tuesday by Sens. Jeanne Shaheen (D-N.H.), Maggie Hassan (D-N.H.), Susan Collins (R-Maine), and Angus King (I-Maine). It seeks to permanently exempt certain critical shipyard jobs from broad-based federal workforce cuts.

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“Our shipyard workforce represents an essential component of our national defense and preparedness — they should have never been subjected to this administration’s ill-considered hiring freezes,” Shaheen said in a release.

But critics of that statement point out that the Trump administration’s hiring freeze was not a blanket attack on defense readiness, but rather a calculated effort to trim bureaucratic excess, prioritize efficiency, and reallocate resources toward mission-critical roles.

The PSNY Act specifically targets America’s four public shipyards:

• Norfolk Naval Shipyard in Virginia
• Portsmouth Naval Shipyard in Maine
• Puget Sound Naval Shipyard and Intermediate Maintenance Facility in Washington state
• Pearl Harbor Naval Shipyard and Intermediate Maintenance Facility in Hawaii

Its stated goal is to “ensure that the maintenance and overhaul of America’s nuclear-powered submarine fleet continues uninterrupted.”

The bill calls for exempting welders, mechanics, nuclear maintenance specialists, and refueling personnel from hiring freezes — roles undeniably vital to the Navy’s operational readiness.

It also removes a hiring cap for these positions, which currently limits the Navy to bringing on 1,550 external hires per month across all naval institutions. Portsmouth alone needs 550 hires each year to keep pace with submarine fleet maintenance.

This push from lawmakers follows the Office of Personnel Management’s “Fork in the Road” initiative, rolled out Jan. 28, which introduced four new pillars for the federal workforce — including a targeted reduction in personnel.

Shaheen and Collins argued that shrinking shipyard staff could slow submarine maintenance, potentially affecting national security.

The Defense Department responded decisively, exempting the shipyard workforce from the Pentagon’s hiring freeze in a clear sign that the administration understands the strategic importance of these facilities.

The senators’ concerns about implementation persisted, prompting a high-profile visit on April 17 to Portsmouth Naval Shipyard with Navy Secretary John Phelan — his first visit to a public shipyard since confirmation. According to Shaheen’s office, they raised issues directly with him.

On May 13, the senators followed up with a letter to OPM, urging the agency to process nearly 150 job candidates already approved by Phelan but still waiting to start work.

Enter Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth. In his very first appearance before the Senate Armed Services Committee on June 18, Hegseth pledged to speed up the onboarding process — a move that underscored his commitment to action over bureaucracy.

While Shaheen’s office has since complained about OPM delays, Hegseth’s proactive stance shows he understands the urgency.

In a defense landscape where every week matters, he’s pushing for faster, more efficient hiring without undermining broader workforce reforms aimed at cutting waste.

The Trump administration’s federal workforce reductions were never about weakening national defense; they were about ensuring that every tax dollar is spent where it matters most.

The fact that the Pentagon moved quickly to exempt shipyard roles from freezes proves that these reforms can coexist with military readiness.

Critics often frame these freezes as reckless, but they fail to acknowledge the reality: the federal hiring system is plagued with delays, redundancy, and inefficiency.

As Shaheen’s own office admitted, “Welding school graduates and recent college graduates aren’t likely to wait months to be onboarded and will instead take jobs elsewhere.” That’s not the result of a hiring freeze — it’s the result of a broken process that leaders like Hegseth are working to fix.

If passed, the PSNY Act would hardwire these exemptions into law, protecting specific shipyard jobs from future freezes.

But regardless of the legislation’s fate, the Defense Department’s current approach already reflects a commitment to keeping America’s naval capabilities strong while pursuing smarter, more efficient government.

Shipyards like Portsmouth are vital to both national security and local economies. That’s why the administration acted swiftly to exempt them from cuts and why Hegseth is focused on removing the bureaucratic roadblocks that keep skilled workers from filling critical positions.

The senators may be getting the headlines, but the quiet, disciplined work of reforming the federal hiring process — without sacrificing defense readiness — is what will ultimately keep America’s fleet strong and its shipyard workers employed.