Eyeing Arctic dominance, Trump bill earmarks $8.6 billion for US Coast Guard icebreakers

[BumRushDaShow]

Source: Reuters

July 3, 2025 5:06 PM EDT Updated 11 hours ago


LOS ANGELES, July 3 (Reuters) - President Donald Trump's massive tax and spending bill earmarks more than $8.6 billion to increase the U.S. Coast Guard icebreaker fleet in the Arctic, where Washington hopes to counter rising Russian and Chinese dominance.

The funding includes $4.3 billion for up to three new heavy Coast Guard Polar Security Cutters, $3.5 billion for medium Arctic Security Cutters, and $816 million for procurement of additional light and medium icebreaking cutters. The cutters will have reinforced hulls and specially angled bows designed for open-water icebreaking. The Coast Guard had been seeking eight to nine Arctic-ready icebreakers. Its current fleet now just includes three.

Trump has been pushing to revive U.S. shipbuilding to counter China's growing strength in maritime manufacturing and naval dominance. Earlier this year, he unveiled separate plans to levy fees and tariffs on Chinese ships and port equipment including ship-to-shore cranes to bolster that effort.

As climate change shrinks polar ice packs, Arctic seas are increasingly being considered as trade routes connecting the Pacific and Atlantic Oceans to major economies.

Read more: https://www.reuters.com/world/us/eyeing-arctic-dominance-trump-bill-earmarks-86-billion-us-coast-guard-2025-07-03/

[Hugin]

1. Most of that will make it's way into off-shore accounts...

One stolen purse full at a time.

With all of the foreign aid and research money gone. Icebreakers are pretty useless anyway.

[Kid Berwyn]

7. Griftcoin

Not worth shit.

[Hugin]

8. Is there any way that could be used to pay taxes?

I know a guy. He’s good with his hands and a hammer.

[Kid Berwyn]

9. There's a guy who makes them whole cloth -- from electrons...

...he uses the things to do magic with elections, too.

[Hugin]

10. "Render unto Orange Julius Ceasar, what is Orange Julius Ceasar's"

It says so right there in the stereo manual.

[Mrsfiddlegirl]

16. Why?

I heard this when the full bill was read in the Senate. A few cuts in the DOD and ICE budget would have covered our Medicaid and SNAP massacre. Sickening.

[eppur_se_muova]

2. Since the Arctic is rapidly melting, that money will be forgotten -- except by Trump's pockets. nt

[CanonRay]

3. Good news for Finland, I guess.

They (and Russia) make all the Icebreakers.

[speak easy]

4. Greenland

It's on.

[thought crime]

5. New icebreakers likely won't be in operation while Trump is in office

[Prairie Gates]

6. Who builds these and when did the check clear?

The most corrupt administration and Congress in history does not disburse your federal tax dollars without a payoff in advance.

[jmowreader]

15. The ones they have now were built by Lockheed in Seattle

They'll have to be built somewhere else because the yard they were built in is now closed.

If I had to guess he'd probably want them built either at Austal USA in Mobile, AL, or at Newport News Shipbuilding in Virginia. Fincantieri Marinette Marine might be a possibility since they broke for Trump both times he won, but Bath Iron Works is out because it's in Maine.

[DENVERPOPS]

11. People, People, People

Putin is already building and amassing a really large amount of NUCLEAR POWERED HEAVY DUTY ICE BREAKERS and has been for these past years......In addition to a whole big bunch of medium weight ice breakers.

Putin's Aim????????? The melt off of the Arctic Ice due to the Global Warming is helping open the way to a "Northern Trade Passage" that will cut thousands of miles off of trade routes through the Panama Canal........He wants to control that passage........and has, for years been preparing for it.
In order to do that, he needs to directly or indirectly own the control of Iceland, Greenland, and Canada. Anything Trump is/has been talking about sounding a bell yet??????

In addition he has already been "staking out" the ocean floor under the ice up there as Russian Territory for the un-fathomable amount of natural resources including oil and valuable minerals that are up there.....

Who knows what Trump is doing talking about ice breakers? At this stage, he is way way behind Putin.....way way behind!!!!..........And Putin is already producing a supply of Nuclear Powered, Heavy Duty, ice breakers, ships not needing to be constantly replenished with diesel fuel.........
Trump developing, designing, testing, and producing any ships like what Putin is already producing and stockpiling is years, if not decades away.
Anything Trump says about this or anything else is purely one of his wet dreams, produced in his Adderall saturated/demented mind as his body/mind is crashing at 3am every morning............

WASF

[Martin68]

12. This is actually long overdue.

[LT Barclay]

14. It is, and if the dipshits fantasies get it done, at least one good thing will come out of this time. Hopefully he'll

die soon and his cult will collapse for a while until it re-coalesces again in some other form.

[DonCoquixote]

13. little donalda

comrade Putin will not approve. Remember he thinks Alaska is his.