House Majority Leader Hoyer Visits Philly Shipyard During Tour of Navy Yard with Congresswoman Scanlon

April 25, 2022

Congresswoman Mary Gay Scanlon (PA-05) today welcomed Congressman Steny H. Hoyer (MD-05), Majority Leader for the U.S. House of Representatives, to the Navy Yard. Alongside officials from the City of Philadelphia and PIDC, Hoyer and Scanlon toured the Navy Yard, met with representatives from two key employers — Philly Shipyard, Inc. and Iovance Biotherapeutics, and discussed ongoing federal investments at the Navy Yard.

“The Philadelphia Navy Yard is emerging as a center of economic activity for our region,” said Rep. Scanlon. “I was honored to host Majority Leader Hoyer today to show him how this area is leading Philadelphia’s transition from its industrial roots to the economy of the future. Once a federal shipyard run by the Navy, the area sat dormant after closing in the 1990s, but now boasts employers spanning industries from shipbuilding and manufacturing to life sciences and more. As the U.S. Representative for the Navy Yard, I’m proud to champion federal investments to support the work of PIDC and its partners to transform this space and bring more jobs to our region.”

“I was proud to join Rep. Scanlon at Philadelphia’s Navy Yard today to see the extraordinary work being done to create a regional hub for innovation and economic growth,” said Majority Leader Hoyer. “Securing the return of Community Project Funding in the Fiscal Year 2022 appropriations process was a big win for members and for every congressional district, where important local projects are again able to receive the support they deserve in a way that is fully transparent and accountable. The funding Rep. Scanlon brought home to the Navy Yard is a wonderful example of that, and it is an example of House Democrats’ efforts to help more businesses and workers Make It In America as well. I want to thank her for her leadership and her hard work to help Pennsylvanians and all Americans access economic opportunities and get ahead.”

In March, Scanlon secured $525,000 for PIDC’s Navy Yard Skills Initiative in the Fiscal Year 2022 federal government funding package. It is one of 10 Community Project Funding awards Scanlon delivered for her district. By creating unique, customized training programs, Navy Yard Skills Initiative builds on the model developed by the West Philadelphia Skills Initiative to connect unemployed and underemployed Philadelphia residents to permanent employment with Navy Yard employers. Thanks to the Community Project Funding secured by Scanlon, the Navy Yard Skills Initiative will be able to run for another full year. Since the program’s initial recruitment in February 2021, Navy Yard Skills Initiative has graduated four cohorts of trainees — totaling 53 people — with 98% of graduates receiving full-time job offers with employers including Philly Shipyard, Inc. and Tasty Baking Company after completing their training.

Scanlon has also led the charge in Congress to help Philly Shipyard, Inc. (PSI) secure federal shipbuilding contracts after the shipyard fell dormant in 2018 and suffered massive layoffs. In April 2020, the shipyard was awarded an initial contract valued at $630 million to build the first two ships in a five-ship series of U.S. DOT Maritime Administration (MARAD) National Security Multi-Mission Vessels (NSMVs). Since then, Scanlon has continued to advocate for additional contracts to be awarded to PSI, which has now been contracted to complete all five ships in the NSMV fleet. The total value for these five training vessels is approximately $1.5 billion. When Scanlon was first elected in 2018, PSI only had around 80 employees. The contract for the NSMV program has allowed PSI to reconstitute its workforce, which currently stands around 1,200 and is expected to reach full capacity in mid-2022.