SHIPS for America Act of 2025

In this Act:

(1) Appropriate committees of Congress. The term appropriate committees of Congress means—

(A) the Committee on Armed Services, the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation, and the Committee on Appropriations of the Senate; and

(B) the Committee on Armed Services, the Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure, and the Committee on Appropriations of the House of Representatives.

(2) Domestic commerce. The term domestic commerce means the transportation of goods or passengers between places in the United States.

(3) Foreign commerce. The term foreign commerce means—

(A) commerce or trade between the United States, its territories or possessions, or the District of Columbia, and a foreign country; and

(B) commerce or trade between foreign countries.

(4) Foreign country of concern. The term foreign country of concern means—

(A) a country that is a covered nation (as defined in section 4872(d) of title 10, United States Code); and

(B) any country that the Maritime Administrator, in consultation with the Secretary of Defense, the Secretary of State, the Director of National Intelligence, and the Chair of the Federal Maritime Commission, determines to be engaged in conduct that is detrimental to the national security or foreign policy of the United States.

(5) Foreign entity. The term foreign entity—

(A) means—

(i) a government of a foreign country or a foreign political party, as those terms are defined in section 1 of the Foreign Agents Registration Act of 1938, as amended (22 U.S.C. 611);

(ii) a natural person who is not a lawful permanent resident of the United States, a citizen of the United States, or any other protected individual (as such term is defined in section 274B(a)(3) of the Immigration and Nationality Act (8 U.S.C. 1324b(a)(3))); or

(iii) a partnership, association, corporation, organization, or other combination of persons organized under the laws of or having its principal place of business in a foreign country; and

(B) includes—

(i) any person (including an owner or operator of a vessel) owned by, controlled by, or subject to the direction of an entity listed in subparagraph (A);

(ii) any person, wherever located, who acts as an agent, representative, or employee of an entity listed in subparagraph (A);

(iii) any person who acts in any other capacity at the order, request, or under the direction or control, of an entity listed in subparagraph (A), or of a person whose activities are directly or indirectly supervised, directed, controlled, financed, or subsidized in whole or in major part by an entity listed in subparagraph (A);

(iv) any person who directly or indirectly through any contract, arrangement, understanding, relationship, or otherwise, owns 25 percent or more of the equity interests of an entity listed in subparagraph (A);

(v) any person with significant responsibility to control, manage, or direct an entity listed in subparagraph (A);

(vi) any person, wherever located, who is a citizen or resident of a country controlled by an entity listed in subparagraph (A); or

(vii) any corporation, partnership, association, or other organization organized under the laws of a country controlled by an entity listed in subparagraph (A).

(6) Foreign entity of concern. The term foreign entity of concern means any foreign entity that is—

(A) designated as a foreign terrorist organization by the Secretary of State under section 219 of the Immigration and Nationality Act (8 U.S.C. 1189);

(B) included on the list of specially designated nationals and blocked persons maintained by the Office of Foreign Assets Control of the Department of the Treasury;

(C) owned by, controlled by, or subject to the jurisdiction or direction of a government of a foreign country of concern;

(D) alleged by the Attorney General to have been involved in activities for which a conviction was obtained under—

(i) chapter 37 of title 18, United States Code (commonly known as the Espionage Act) (18 U.S.C. 792 et seq.);

(ii) section 951 or 1030 of title 18, United States Code;

(iii) chapter 90 of title 18, United States Code (commonly known as the Economic Espionage Act of 1996);

(iv) the Arms Export Control Act (22 U.S.C. 2751 et seq.);

(v) section 224, 225, 226, 227, or 236 of the Atomic Energy Act of 1954 (42 U.S.C. 2274, 2275, 2276, 2277, and 2284);

(vi) the Export Control Reform Act of 2018 (50 U.S.C. 4801 et seq.); or

(vii) the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (50 U.S.C. 1701 et seq.);

(E) designated by the Federal Maritime Commission as a controlled carrier under chapter 407 of title 46, United States Code;

(F) found by the Federal Maritime Commission to be practicing unfavorable conditions in foreign trade under chapter 421 or 423 of title 46, United States Code; or

(G) determined by the Maritime Administrator, in consultation with the Secretary of Defense, the Secretary of State, the Director of National Intelligence, and the Chair of the Federal Maritime Commission, to be engaged in unauthorized conduct that is detrimental to the national security or foreign policy of the United States.

(7) Vessel of the United States. The term vessel of the United States has the meaning given that term in section 116 of title 46, United States Code.