Hegseth vows to 'speed up' Portsmouth Naval Shipyard hiring, pressed by Sen. Collins

Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth vowed to "speed it up" when pressed about hiring delays at Portsmouth Naval Shipyard by Sen. Susan Collins, R-Maine.

Collins, chair of the Senate's Appropriations Committee, told Hegseth during a June 11 Department of Defense budget hearing that she and Sen. Jeanne Shaheen, D-New Hampshire, had secured a hiring freeze exemption earlier this year for the shipyard.

"Both of us are hearing from shipyard leaders, as well as the Navy, as well as the rank-and-file workers and the union leadership, that the delays in hiring and onboarding across the workforce, from frontline mechanics to security personnel, continue," Collins said to Hegseth. "Could you speak to what is causing this delay, since the exemption from the hiring freeze was granted months ago?"

Hegseth responded: "Well, it's a great point, senator. I will have our team dive into that because that should not be the case. They were very specifically exempted because of the importance of those shipyards. And whatever we can do to speed it up for you, we will do."

To read more, visit seacoastonline.com/story/news/2025/06/11/hegseth-vows-speed-up-portsmouth-naval-shipyard-hiring/84153376007.

— Staff report, Portsmouth Herald

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