Senate Confirms MARAD, Coast Guard Leaders
Trump Administration Prioritizes Freight Safety, Efficiency
Key Takeaways:
- The Senate on Dec. 18 confirmed Stephen Carmel as maritime administrator and Adm. Kevin Lunday as commandant of the Coast Guard before leaving town for the year.
- Carmel said his focus will be maritime safety, supply chain efficiency and revitalizing the U.S. maritime industry, drawing on decades of private sector and seagoing experience.
- Lunday’s confirmation follows nearly a year as acting commandant, with senators emphasizing expectations on accountability, inclusivity and continued Coast Guard operations against drug trafficking and other threats.
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Before leaving town for the year, the Senate confirmed officials for senior roles in the transportation sector.
On Dec. 18, senators confirmed Stephen Carmel as administrator of the Maritime Administration.
President Donald Trump’s pick to lead the agency told a committee this fall his objective would be to advance safety and supply chain efficiency directives. Carmel also acknowledged the administration’s aim of amplifying economic opportunities for myriad stakeholders.
“A strong maritime sector is not nostalgia — it’s strategy. It means resilient supply chains we control; credible logistics for our joint forces; good jobs across our coasts, rivers and Great Lakes; and the freedom to move what America needs, when and where America needs it — under our own flag,” Carmel told senators in October. “We have done hard things before. With this committee’s guidance, and in partnership with labor and industry, we can do them again. We will not be the generation that stood on the sidelines and passively watched our noble industry die. We will be the generation that rebuilt it — stronger, smarter, faster and ready.”
䲹’s background includes a stint as president of U.S. Marine Management, a Virginia-based maritime solutions firm. A graduate of the U.S. Merchant Marine Academy, he worked on U.S. vessels before joining Maersk Line Limited.
Responding to a questionnaire from senators on the Commerce Committee, he said, “I believe it is my obligation to serve if called to pay back for that opportunity. The industry is in desperate need of revitalization, now is the greatest potential for that to happen in generations, and the opportunity may never come again. Those factors combined motivate me to want to serve in the capacity of maritime administrator, if confirmed, and make a positive contribution to our industry.”
Committee Chairman Ted Cruz (R-Texas) backed the nomination, noting, “Carmel will draw on decades of experience to advise the secretary of transportation on federal maritime policy as administrator of the Maritime Administration.”
The Senate also confirmed Adm. Kevin Lunday as commandant of the Coast Guard.
Responding to the Commerce Committee’s questionnaire, the Coast Guard leader wrote, “I will ensure that the Coast Guard maintains policies and systems for management and accounting controls, trains personnel in their use and application, executes functions in accordance with those controls, and reports failures or violations of controls to appropriate enforcement and oversight authorities.”
Sen. Maria Cantwell (D-Wash.), the panel’s ranking member, pushed a message of inclusivity following the Senate’s confirmation of Lunday, which she emphasized “comes with a clear expectation that he will uphold a zero-tolerance policy for hate symbols and ensure the Coast Guard is safe for every member who serves.”
“I expect the commandant to uphold the same zero-tolerance policy for sexual assault and harassment,” the senator added.
At a committee hearing last month, Cruz touted Lunday’s record.
“Since January, Adm. Lunday has served as acting commandant of the Coast Guard,” Cruz said. “In this role, he has exceptionally managed long overdue surges of Coast Guard resources to the Gulf Coast and Pacific to interdict drug runners and human traffickers while also balancing the service’s many other directives.”
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