Senator Young, colleagues introduce legislation to improve access to infrastructure funding for Great Lakes ports

Monday, April 7, 2025 at 6:00 PM

U.S. Senator Todd Young (R-Ind.) joined a bipartisan group of Senate colleagues in introducing legislation aimed at ensuring that Great Lakes ports receive a fair share of existing federal funding available for port infrastructure upgrades and repairs.

From 2019 to 2024, Great Lakes ports received as little as two percent of all available Port Infrastructure Development Program (PIDP) awards, with Gulf Coast ports receiving as little as six percent of that same funding. Meanwhile, ports along the East and West Coasts of the United States were awarded almost 70 percent funding available. The Securing Smart Investments in Our Ports Act would help address this imbalance by directing the Maritime Administration to consider fair regional distribution of PIDP funds when awarding grants.

“Indiana’s ports are critical to our state’s economy and connect Hoosier businesses and farmers to the world. This bill will better ensure ports in the Great Lakes region have access to existing programs meant to improve their infrastructure, safety, and efficiency,” said Senator Young.

The PIDP is a competitive federal grant program administered by the Maritime Administration that provides funding to improve the safety, efficiency, or reliability of our nation’s ports – including investments to reconstruct docks, improve access to key transportation routes, expand storage capacity, and more.

In addition to Senator Young, U.S. Senators Gary Peters (D-Mich.), John Cornyn (R-Texas), Tammy Baldwin (D-Wis.), and Roger Wicker (R-Miss.) also introduced the legislation.