Why It Matters

Cruise Lines International Association (CLIA) lobbied in the third quarter of 2026 on passenger vessel policy, domestic shipbuilding, C1D/seafarer visa issues, and international shipping taxation. Three weeks before CLIA's filing was signed, Sen. Rick Scott (R-FL) introduced the Strengthened Checks for Reliable Evaluation of Entrants Nationwide (SCREEN) Act on Sept. 24, citing reports that cruise lines hired foreign workers on C-1/D visas who were later found with child sexual abuse material. CLIA is now formally on record lobbying the same visa category the SCREEN Act targets. ​

By the Numbers

CLIA's third-quarter filing reports $494,000 in in-house lobbying, down $160,000 from the second quarter of 2026, when four registrants combined for $654,000. A year earlier, in the third quarter of 2025, five registrants, including Harbinger Strategies LLC, Alcalde & Fay, Miller Strategies LLC, and Capitol Tax Partners LLP alongside the in-house team, totaled $844,000.

The third-quarter report names three lobbyists: Mike McGarry, senior vice president, government affairs; Brian Beall, vice president, government affairs; and Melissa Newton, vice president, government affairs. Kevin Swanson and Alex Duffy, both on the second-quarter in-house report, do not appear on this filing. McGarry and Beall both have prior government experience. Newton was listed in a fourth-quarter 2022 lobbying report for the American Public Transportation Association (APTA) with a covered position of Deputy Assistant Secretary, Intergovernmental Affairs.

Broader Context

Coast Guard Authorization Act of 2025

S. 524 is the Coast Guard Authorization Act of 2025, and its House counterpart is H.R. 4275. Cheniere Energy Inc. is among the organizations whose filings cover these bills.

SHIPS for America Act

The SHIPS for America Act of 2024, introduced as S. 5611 by Sen. Mark Kelly (D-AZ) and as H.R. 10493 by Rep. Trent Kelly (R-MS-1) in December 2024, remained at the introduced stage with no further action recorded as of the filing date. Sponsors argued the bill would expand the U.S.-flag international fleet by 250 ships over 10 years and reduce dependence on foreign vessels, citing 80 U.S.-flagged vessels in international commerce against 5,500 Chinese vessels. The Cato Institute's Colin Grabow argued against the approach, contending U.S.-built ships often cost five times as much as foreign counterparts and that U.S. shipbuilding represented 0.04 percent of global commercial output.

C-1/D Visa and the SCREEN Act

The SCREEN Act would give the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and the State Department access to National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC) data to screen visa applicants; Rep. Carlos Giménez introduced companion legislation in the House, and Sen. Ted Budd is an original cosponsor. The Cruise Lines International Association's third-quarter 2026 lobbying report lists "C1D/Seafarer Visa Issues" among the issues it lobbied on.

The Bottom Line

CLIA's total lobbying spend has declined over the past year, with the in-house team contracting from four lobbyists to three. The SHIPS for America Act bills, S.5611 and H.R.10493, were introduced in December 2024 in the 118th Congress and have seen no action since. Both S. 524 and its House counterpart, H.R. 4275, appear in CLIA's lobbying filings.

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