Senate Passes Kelly-Backed Bipartisan Bill Supporting U.S. Merchant Marine Academy Athletic Programs

Senator and U.S. Merchant Marine Academy (USMMA) alumnus Mark Kelly (D-AZ) and Senator Roger Wicker (R-MS) applauded the Senate passage of the USMMA Athletics Act of 2026 , bipartisan legislation to support the Academy’s athletic programs. Specifically, the legislation would allow the USMMA to establish a nonprofit organization to handle fundraising, licensing, ticketing, and other matters related to athletics. This would bring it into parity with athletics programs at the other four U.S. service academies. Kelly graduated from the USMMA in 1986 and has served on their Board of Visitors since 2023. As Arizona’s senator, Kelly also nominates students to the USMMA, one of the five U.S. service academies for which he makes nominations. This bill builds on Kelly’s broader push to strengthen the USMMA and the U.S. Merchant Marine. Kelly’s SHIPS for America Act is set to invest in long-overdue infrastructure needs at the USMMA campus and expands recruitment, training, and retention programs to grow the maritime workforce. “Nothing prepared me better for my career—in the Navy, at NASA, and even in the Senate—than the U.S. Merchant Marine Academy,” said Kelly. “This bill will strengthen and elevate USMMA’s ability to invest in midshipmen both in and beyond the classroom.” “By supporting service academy athletics, we boost recruitment and retention at America’s service academies,” said Wicker. “It is time to give the U.S. Merchant Marine Academy the same tools that other academies have to make the most of athletics programs.” Background: The USMMA trains midshipmen to serve as licensed officers in the U.S. Merchant Marine or as commissioned officers in the U.S. Armed Forces. The academy fields 19 teams and conducts 55 percent of its overall recruiting through those athletic programs. Other service academies use a 501(c)(3) entity to generate revenue that supports athletics. The USMMA Athletics Act of 2026 would empower the USMMA to create such an organization and to collect funds it accrues. By boosting athletic programs, the USMMA will be able to support enrollment at the academy and, ultimately, the future Merchant Marine force. The USMMA Athletics Act of 2026 passed the U.S. Senate on August 6, 2026. Its companion legislation awaits consideration by the U.S. House Committee on Armed Services. Click here to read the full text of the bill.