A bill to authorize appropriations for the maritime construction differential subsidy for fiscal year 1984, to promote a strong United States merchant marine, and for other purposes.
Key claim: This 1983 Senate bill would have funded the Transportation Department’s shipbuilding cost subsidy for fiscal year 1984 and raised the cap on outstanding federal loan guarantees used to build or refit U.S. merchant ships.
Abstract
(S125 · 98th Congress) Authorizes appropriations to the Department of Transportation for FY 1984 for the maritime construction differential subsidy. Amends the Merchant Marine Act, 1936, to increase the limitation on outstanding loan obligations for vessel construction, reconstruction, or reconditioning. Latest action (1983-04-14): Subcommittee on Merchant Marine. Hearings held. Hearings printed: S.Hrg. 98-107.
Why this matters
The construction differential subsidy was the core federal tool for keeping U.S.-flag merchant shipbuilding cost-competitive with foreign yards, and pairing it with a Title XI loan guarantee cap increase shows how mid-1980s Congress structured merchant marine support. Tracking even non-enacted FY1984 authorizations helps map the decline of CDS funding, which was effectively suspended after 1981 and never fully revived.