“The White House is pushing to add a fifth public naval shipyard and OMB has created a dedicated shipbuilding office within the budget office to implement President Trump’s maritime executive order.”
Attributed to Russell Vought / Townhall (reporting his remarks at The Washington Times IndoPac 2026 event)
OMB Director Russell Vought announced at The Washington Times’ IndoPac 2026 conference that the administration is pushing for a fifth public shipyard and has placed a shipbuilding office inside OMB to drive implementation of Trump’s April 2025 executive order on restoring American maritime dominance.
What the proof shows
Primary documents and multiple contemporaneous news reports show: (1) President Trump signed Executive Order 14269 (Apr 9, 2025) directing development of a Maritime Action Plan and assigning the OMB Director a central implementation/assessment role; (2) the White House published a Maritime Action Plan in Feb 2026; and (3) OMB officials (OMB Director Russell Vought) publicly said at the Washington Times INDOPAC 2026 event that the administration is pursuing a fifth public shipyard and that a shipbuilding office now sits inside OMB. Independent reporting from Breaking Defense (July 2025) also reported the White House Office of Shipbuilding was moved into OMB. However, this is an administration proposal and management move — not a completed program: Congressional approval, appropriations, and detailed implementation plans (site, schedule, enacted funding) have not been finalized. The claim is therefore substantively correct about the administration’s push and OMB housing a shipbuilding office, but it omits that the proposal remains under study and is not an enacted construction program.
Corrected version
The administration has publicly proposed and is studying creation of a fifth public naval shipyard, and officials say a White House shipbuilding office now operates inside OMB to help coordinate implementation of the April 9, 2025 executive order — but no final decision, site selection, or congressional appropriations for a new public shipyard have been completed.
Automated evidence confidence: 0%
References and proof
Every link was reachable when published. Each proof point states how that source bears on the claim.
Executive Order 14269—Restoring America's Maritime Dominance ↗
The White HouseWithin 210 days ... the Assistant to the President for National Security Affairs (APNSA) ... shall submit a Maritime Action Plan (MAP) to the President, through the APNSA and the Director of the Office of Management and Budget (OMB Director). The OMB Director, in coordination with the APNSA, shall be responsible for all legislative, regulatory, and fiscal assessments related to the MAP.
White House’s new shipbuilding office moved to OMB, leader departs ↗
Breaking DefenseThe office itself still exists, but is no longer under the NSC. Instead ... the office now lives under the Office of Management and Budget. The office 'is being moved to OMB,' Anna Kelly, a White House spokeswoman, said in a statement to Breaking Defense.
Trump administration pushes for fifth public shipyard to support naval expansion ↗
WorkBoatVought outlined the administration’s position during remarks at IndoPac 2026 ... 'If we’re going to spend a one-and-a-half trillion dollars ... we want to make sure that we have the ability to have enough public shipyards to do maintenance,' Vought said. 'In addition to the proposed fifth shipyard, he said OMB has established a dedicated shipbuilding office to help oversee implementation of Trump’s April 2025 executive order.'
Pentagon Budget Briefing (transcript) — maritime industrial base / FY2027 budget ↗
Pentagon budget briefing transcript (public transcript)This budget requests ... includes over $65 billion for 18 battle force ships ... and includes funds to study a fifth public shipyard.
Navy and Coast Guard Shipbuilding: A Disciplined, Strategy‑Driven Approach Is Needed to Achieve Ambitious Goals (GAO) ↗
U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO)We are in an unprecedented era of focus on the maritime industrial base and American shipbuilding, as illustrated by the release of America's Maritime Action Plan by the White House in February 2026... the plan sets out challenges and policy options but does not include full implementation specifics such as costs and roles that GAO recommended.
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