Why It Matters
The skilled trades face a critical workforce shortage. For every five skilled tradespeople who retire, only two are entering the workforce to replace them, according to data cited by the Build Freedom initiative. The House Appropriations Committee's Subcommittee on Defense is holding a hearing titled "Industrial Base And Workforce Development For Skilled Trades" on September 4 to examine how federal policy can address this gap and strengthen the nation's industrial base.
The Hearing
The hearing will be held before the House Appropriations Committee's Subcommittee on Defense. Rep. Ken Calvert (R-CA) chairs the subcommittee, with Rep. Betty McCollum (D-MN) as ranking member and Rep. Jake Ellzey Sr. (R-TX) as vice chair.
Three witnesses are scheduled to testify before the subcommittee. Michael P. Cadenazzi from the U.S. Department of Defense (DOD), Eric D. Chewning from Huntington Ingalls Industries, and Michael H. Reed from Pennsylvania College of Technology will present testimony on the skilled trades workforce and industrial base development.
Context
The skilled trades shortage has drawn sustained attention from multiple federal agencies and private stakeholders. In July 2026, the Department of War launched the Build Freedom initiative, presenting a $10 million check to skilled trades advocate Mike Rowe to fund workforce development programs. That same month, the Department of Labor announced an expanded partnership with Huntington Ingalls Industries to strengthen the maritime shipbuilding workforce, including a proposal to establish a maritime-focused training hub at the San Diego Job Corps Center.
Private industry has also stepped up investment. Lowe's Foundation announced a $250 million commitment to train and develop 250,000 skilled tradespeople by 2035, increasing its workforce development efforts five-fold. Multiple companies and industry groups have been actively lobbying Congress on workforce development and defense industrial base issues. Lowe's engaged a lobbying firm to work on skilled trades education and workforce development initiatives through the second quarter of 2026. The Rhode Island Builders Association lobbied on congressionally directed spending for employment and training in the skilled trades through the Department of Labor in the first and second quarters of 2026. Other entities focused on specific industrial base concerns: the Defense Industrial Base Capital Fund lobbied on capital formation for defense manufacturing and workforce development in the second quarter of 2026, while Environet Inc. lobbied on federal support for Hawai'i-based defense industrial base development through the same period.
The Bottom Line
This hearing reflects growing bipartisan recognition that the skilled trades workforce crisis poses a direct threat to U.S. defense manufacturing capacity and economic competitiveness. With federal agencies, private companies, and industry associations all mobilizing resources and lobbying efforts around workforce development, Congress is positioning itself to shape how federal dollars and policy support the pipeline of workers the industrial base depends on. The subcommittee's focus on both the immediate workforce gap and the broader industrial base suggests the hearing may inform future appropriations decisions on defense manufacturing and workforce training programs.
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