Golden urges Hegseth to pump brakes on planned Trump battleship

April 29, 2026 Press Release Pentagon budget rushes costly, unproven test ship, cuts BIW-built destroyers WASHINGTON — Congressman Jared Golden (ME-02) today cautioned Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth over plans to rush a costly, unproven battleship while slowing production of the proven DDG-51 Arleigh Burke-class destroyers built at Bath Iron Works. Hegseth appeared before the House Armed Services Committee (HASC), on which Golden is a member, to present the Pentagon’s proposed Fiscal Year 2027 budget. While the plan cuts production of DDG-51s, it includes $17 billion for a new “Trump - class” battleship on a rushed timeline. “Everyone on this committee knows about the Navy’s struggles to successfully design, manage and field new classes of ships,” Golden said , citing the Littoral Combat Ships, Zumwalt-class destroyers and Constellation-class frigates — all of which had to be scrapped due to challenges such as cost overruns, design problems and scheduling delays. “Recent history is littered with failed Navy efforts to replace existing, successful programs that remain the best in class worldwide — including the Bath-built Arleigh Burke destroyers. This isn’t the failure of our shipbuilders or our sailors. It’s a failure by top brass to learn a simple lesson: If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it. My sincere hope is that Secretary Hegseth, the Navy and Congress will pump the brakes on this battleship and focus on producing ships we know can meet our needs today.” Bath Iron Works has built dozens of Arleigh Burke-class destroyers, including USS Harvey C. Barnum Jr., which entered service earlier this month . Golden has long advocated, successfully, for multi-ship procurement in defense appropriations bills to ensure not only maritime combat readiness but stable demand for highly skilled, good-paying jobs at BIW. Hegseth himself called the destroyer the “workhorse” of the U.S. Navy when he visited BIW earlier this year and told shipbuilders that the Pentagon would “max out” on destroyer procurement. But the Fiscal Year 2027 budget proposal requests just one DDG-51. Instead, it proposes construction of a new battleship named for the president with a price tag of $17 billion — enough to fund six DDG-51s. Golden noted that the Trump-class ship would be a return to a vessel style not used since WWII. Experts have raised questions about the proposed battleship’s ability to meet modern surface combatant needs, with one suggesting that the ship will never hit the water . “The proposed battleship is a high-risk, low-reward proposition and the cost will be high — not just for taxpayers, but for the lost opportunity to maintain the supply of destroyers proven to meet our surface fleet's needs,” Golden said. HASC will continue to consider the Pentagon’s budget request in the coming weeks. Video of Golden’s remarks can be viewed here . ### Issues : Workers & Unions National Security and Servicemembers