NEWPORT NEWS, Va. — The House Armed Services Committee voted 57-to-1 on Wednesday to overrule the Navy and restore a second Virginia-class fast attack submarine back into the Fiscal Year 2025 budget.
The Navy had sought to purchase just one sub, citing a lack of industrial base capacity to deliver two on time.
After the vote, Rep. Rob Wittman (R-Virginia, 1st District) said in a statement: "During this time of global unrest, it is more important than ever that the U.S. military is equipped to counter America's emboldened adversaries."
The full House of Representatives must still vote on the measure.
Meanwhile, the Senate is expected to begin its work on the National Defense Authorization Act in June. Virginia's two Senators weighed in on Thursday on the question of how many subs should be built.
"We need to make two subs a year to meet America's needs. And we also made a commitment to sell subs to the Aussies in the 2030s. To do that, we probably need to get to about 2.3 subs a year pace," said Sen. Tim Kaine (D- Virginia).
Sen. Mark Warner (D-Virginia) said he had not yet reviewed the numbers in the Navy proposal but added: "We obviously want to make sure we maintain the strongest Navy in the world in a time where there is conflict everywhere. We see the power of the Navy trying to keep the level of violence in the Middle East down."
Virginia-class submarines are built under a teaming arrangement between HII Newport News Shipbuilding and General Dynamics Electric Boat in Groton, Connecticut.