Posted:
October 17, 2013
The continuing resolution that ended the government shutdown, among other things, eliminated a budget anomaly that threatened to leave the Maritime Security Program with a lasting deficit in appropriations and restored the program's funding baseline to the full level of $186 million - the amount authorized by law for the MSP in fiscal year 2014.
The continuing resolution funds the federal government through Jan. 15, 2014. The measure provides for the MSP to continue "at a rate for operations of $186,000,000" until that time.
"The inclusion of this provision in the CR is a testament to the absolute importance of the MSP to our nation's defense sealift capabilities," said American Maritime Officers National President Tom Bethel. "It is also a testament to the drive AMO has been participating in with maritime labor and the U.S.-flag industry to ensure the $12 million budget anomaly was corrected.
"This is progress in our ongoing effort to ensure the MSP is fully funded moving forward, but our work is far from over," Bethel said. "An appropriation for the rest of the fiscal year will still need to be secured prior to the expiration of the CR, and we'll be monitoring budget discussions closely."
The MSP makes a fleet of 60 U.S.-flagged commercial ships and their attendant intermodal infrastructure available to the Department of Defense. The annual appropriation allows the DOD to leverage $13 billion in commercial vessel capacity and $52 billion in commercial intermodal cargo systems around the world for sealift operations.
The program is authorized at a level of $186 million for this fiscal year. However, when the MSP appropriation for fiscal year 2013 was made under a continuing resolution, the Maritime Administration had a surplus of $12 million in MSP funding. As a result, $174 million was enacted to fund the MSP for the previous fiscal year. The current continuing resolution approved by Congress and signed by the President restores the program's funding baseline to the authorized level of $186 million. This could not have been accomplished without the hard work and last minute efforts on the part of the Senate Appropriations staff and Acting Maritime Administrator Paul N. Jaenichen.
The ships currently operated in the MSP fleet under contract with AMO are the Alliance Fairfax, Ocean Crescent, Ocean Charger, Independence II, Maersk Carolina, Maersk Pittsburgh, Maersk Chicago, Maersk Missouri, Courage, Integrity, Resolve, Honor, Freedom, Endurance and Ocean Freedom.
Measure to end government shutdown corrects MSP budget anomaly
The continuing resolution that ended the government shutdown, among other things, eliminated a budget anomaly that threatened to leave the Maritime Security Program with a lasting deficit in appropriations and restored the program's funding baseline to the full level of $186 million - the amount authorized by law for the MSP in fiscal year 2014.
The continuing resolution funds the federal government through Jan. 15, 2014. The measure provides for the MSP to continue "at a rate for operations of $186,000,000" until that time.
"The inclusion of this provision in the CR is a testament to the absolute importance of the MSP to our nation's defense sealift capabilities," said American Maritime Officers National President Tom Bethel. "It is also a testament to the drive AMO has been participating in with maritime labor and the U.S.-flag industry to ensure the $12 million budget anomaly was corrected.
"This is progress in our ongoing effort to ensure the MSP is fully funded moving forward, but our work is far from over," Bethel said. "An appropriation for the rest of the fiscal year will still need to be secured prior to the expiration of the CR, and we'll be monitoring budget discussions closely."
The MSP makes a fleet of 60 U.S.-flagged commercial ships and their attendant intermodal infrastructure available to the Department of Defense. The annual appropriation allows the DOD to leverage $13 billion in commercial vessel capacity and $52 billion in commercial intermodal cargo systems around the world for sealift operations.
The program is authorized at a level of $186 million for this fiscal year. However, when the MSP appropriation for fiscal year 2013 was made under a continuing resolution, the Maritime Administration had a surplus of $12 million in MSP funding. As a result, $174 million was enacted to fund the MSP for the previous fiscal year. The current continuing resolution approved by Congress and signed by the President restores the program's funding baseline to the authorized level of $186 million. This could not have been accomplished without the hard work and last minute efforts on the part of the Senate Appropriations staff and Acting Maritime Administrator Paul N. Jaenichen.
The ships currently operated in the MSP fleet under contract with AMO are the Alliance Fairfax, Ocean Crescent, Ocean Charger, Independence II, Maersk Carolina, Maersk Pittsburgh, Maersk Chicago, Maersk Missouri, Courage, Integrity, Resolve, Honor, Freedom, Endurance and Ocean Freedom.