At Port of Seattle, Murray Talks Fighting for Waterway Infrastructure, Securing Historic $3.47 Billion for the Harbor Maintenance Trust Fund

Murray: “When federal law is putting Washington state at a disadvantage, I will push with everything I’ve got to change the law and deliver a solution that works for our communities and creates jobs.”
*** VIDEO OF PRESS CONFERENCEHERE, PHOTOS AND B-ROLLHERE***
Seattle, WA –Today, U.S. Senator Patty Murray (D-WA), Vice Chair of the Senate Appropriations Committee, and ranking member of the Energy and Water Development Subcommittee, visited the Port of Seattle and delivered remarks on the importance of the Harbor Maintenance Trust Fund supporting the Ports of Seattle and Tacoma, while affirming her continued efforts to end Trump’s tariffs. Senator Murray also highlighted securing $8 million for the Northwest Seaport Alliance (NWSA) to install shore power at the Port of Seattle, securing $2.33 million for the Army Corps of Engineers’ Seattle Harbor project to deepen navigation channels at the Port of Seattle, and increasing the funding level for the Harbor Maintenance Trust Fund to a historic $3.47 billion, while ensuring donor ports like the Ports of Seattle and Tacoma get their fair share.
Murray was joined by Ryan Calkins, Port of Seattle Commission President, and Co-Chair of the NWSA; Dan McKisson, ILWU Washington Area District Council President; Nicholas Gauthier, President of the Container Division, SSA Marine; Bill Bloxom, Owner of F.C. Bloxom Company International; and Bryan Gonzalez, Export Sales, F.C. Bloxom Company International.
“Our ports are the engine of our economy in Washington state. So many farmers and manufacturers rely on you to get their goods out to customers across the world,”said Senator Murray.“For decades the Ports of Seattle and Tacoma have been some of the biggest contributors to the Harbor Maintenance Trust Fund, but they’ve been essentially walled off from using the fund because of outdated and unfair restrictions that disadvantage Washington state ports in a major way. The status quo was patently unfair—and I’ve been working year after year for over a decade to fix it. In 2014, I was able to unlock a small amount of annual funding for the Ports of Seattle and Tacoma by expanding eligible uses for the trust fund, but even before then I was working toward the much more ambitious goal of creating an annual set-aside for donor ports like Seattle and Tacoma. In 2024 it finally happened. And this year, I secured a historic $3.47 billion for the Harbor Maintenance Trust Fund—more than ever before, and I wrote in very specific language to make sure our ports get their fair share…When federal law is putting Washington state at a disadvantage, I will push with everything I’ve got to change the law and deliver a solution that works for our communities and creates jobs.”
In the FY26 appropriations bill, Senator Murray secured a historic $3.47 billion for the Harbor Maintenance Trust Fund—a longtime priority for Senator Murray—to invest in our nation’s port and waterway infrastructure, including in Washington state. Senator Murray also ensured the appropriations bill included language explicitly directing the Army Corps of Engineers (Corps) to fully implement language she championed in the 2020Water Resources Development Actthat requires the Corps to provide additional funding to Donor and Energy Transfer ports, which contribute more to the Harbor Maintenance Trust Fund than they can access. The Ports of Seattle and Tacoma are both Donor ports, and this language will help them get their fair share from the Harbor Maintenance Trust Fund.
“Senator Murray is a tireless advocate for our region’s maritime industry. The NWSA is grateful to her for securing provisions in the Fiscal Year 2026 appropriations bill which will help us secure a cleaner environment for generations to come. Her efforts will result in over $50 million this year for Northwest Seaport Alliance projects that will enable the port to further our decarbonization efforts and move more cargo,”said Ryan Calkins, Port of Seattle Commission President and The Northwest Seaport Alliance Co-Chair.
“With Senator Murray’s support, we will secure our fair share of funding from the Harbor Maintenance Tax that has been collected at our ports. The Senator also has helped us receive essential funding for shore power infrastructure and harbor deepening work that will support cleaner air in our region and ensure our port remains competitive in the global marketplace,”said Dick Marzano, Port of Tacoma Commission President and The Northwest Seaport Alliance Co-Chair.
“Dock workers, ferry crews, and tugboat operators understand firsthand the importance of transitioning to clean energy. We work daily in industrial settings and projects like the installation of shore power at T18 will enhance our working conditions and reduce impacts on our communities. The West Waterway dredging initiative will enable us to accommodate vessels with drafts up to 55 feet, positioning us to handle the largest ships worldwide boosting, our competitive edge. Additional Harbor Maintenance Trust Fund allocations will promote greater fairness among donor ports and help cover costs for these vital improvements,”said Dan McKisson, ILWU Washington Area District Council President, representing 3,000 ILWU workers across 11 Washington state ports.“I would also like to express gratitude to Senator Murray for her many years of advocacy addressing the HMT land border loophole, which diverts cargo to foreign ports to avoid paying the Harbor Maintenance Tax. Through her unwavering leadership, we are closer than ever to leveling the playing field for US workers.”
Murray has championed provisions to more equitably provide funding from the HMTF and tirelessly worked formore than a decadeto change the law so that the Ports of Seattle and Tacoma get their fair share of funding after decades of contributing far more than they are eligible to use from the HMTF on traditional operation and maintenance activities. Murray’s efforts included introducing multiple pieces of legislation to reform the HMTF and securing a new provision, Section 2106, in the 2014 Water Resources Reform and Development Act and every reauthorization since to allow donor ports, like Seattle and Tacoma, to access federal funding for additional uses that were previously ineligible for support—including port infrastructure improvements and rebates to importers to help address competition from ports in Canada and Mexico that are not subject to the same fees. Senator Murraysuccessfullysecuredchanges to the HMTF in theWater Resources Development Act (WRDA) of 2020, to more equitably distribute money from the HMTF for projects at America’s ports.
Below is an abbreviated timeline of Senator Murray’s work to address inequities in the Harbor Maintenance Trust Fund and secure fair funding for Washington state’s ports:
Senator Murray’s remarks, as delivered, are below:
“Thank you for joining me to discuss the work at our ports and the challenges we face.
“Our ports are the engine of our economy in Washington state. Our farmers, our manufacturers rely on all of you to get their goods out to customers across the world.
“And so many businesses—small and large—rely on all of you to help them bring in the resources they need for manufacturing, and goods they sell to Washington state families. Our salmon travel far on their own—but you all are the reason they are famous worldwide!
“I’m proud to be your partner. And as a leader on the Appropriations Committee, I managed to secure some really crucial wins for our Ports and our economy.
“For decades the Ports of Seattle and Tacoma have been some of the biggest contributors to the Harbor Maintenance Trust Fund, but they’ve essentially been walled off from using the fund because of outdated and very unfair restrictions that disadvantage Washington state ports in a major way. The status quo was patently unfair—and I’ve been working year after year for over a decade to fix this.
“In 2014, I was able to unlock a small amount of annual funding for the Ports of Seattle and Tacoma by expanding eligible uses for the trust fund. Even before then I was working toward the much more ambitious goal of creating an annual set-aside for donor ports like Seattle and Tacoma.
“Well in 2024 it finally happened. And this year, I secured an historic $3.47 billion—‘b’ billion—for the Harbor Maintenance Trust fund—that’s more than ever before, and I wrote in very specific language to make sure our ports get their fair share.
“This has been a long-fought battle, but it is nothing short of a sea change when it comes to annual funding for the Ports of Seattle and Tacoma. The [HMTF change] is permanent—meaning that every year it is in effect, Washington state ports will take home many times more funding they previously received each year from the Corps.
“When federal law is putting Washington state at a disadvantage, I will push with everything I can to change the law and deliver a solution that works for our communities and for jobs.
“And I have more good news today: I also secured $8 million in Congressionally Directed Spending for the Northwest Seaport Alliance to help them install shore power here at the Port of Seattle. That will mean the enormous shipping container boats won’t have to run their engine to keep the lights on when they dock—that is a huge benefit for everyone.
“And I secured $2.33 million for the Army Corps of Engineers’ Seattle Harbor project to deepen navigation channels here at the Port of Seattle.
“Now I want to be clear, while everyone here understands the importance of our ports, and the value that all of you bring to our economy, and our families—we have a President who just does not get it. Our ports have been especially hit hard by Trump’s absurd trade war. These tariffs are not good for trade, they are not good for families, and they are not good for our ports.
“And his war in Iran is already making shipping and trade even more expensive. To say nothing of the global energy crisis which threatens to get worse with every passing day.
“Rest assured, I am going to be using my voice and my vote in the United States Senate to stop the tariffs and end the war.
“I’m really grateful to be here today at the Port to announce this funding—it’s good news. But I’m also here to affirm my commitment to our ports. You are bringing in—and shipping out—the goods here in Washington state.
“Well, I will keep fighting to deliver ‘the goods’ in the other Washington.”
###