Rep. McDonald Rivet Leads Bipartisan Coalition in Renewing Push to Strengthen Great Lakes Icebreaking Fleet

WASHINGTON— Today, Congresswoman Kristen McDonald Rivet (MI-08) led a bipartisan letter signed by 20 Members of Congress, renewing the push for the United States Coast Guard to strengthen its Great Lakes icebreaking fleet to protect maritime commerce, transportation, and safety throughout the region. Last winter, the Great Lakes lost a third of its shipping season due to ice cover, impacting thousands of jobs and billions in economic activity. 

“When the Great Lakes freeze over, we count on the Coast Guard to keep our ships and our entire region’s economy moving. Last winter, we saw what happens when we try to get by with an old, inadequate fleet: ships can’t move, work is delayed, and people worry they could lose their jobs,” said Congresswoman McDonald Rivet. “In December, the President signed my bill into law, which mandated the Coast Guard to lay out their plan to update our icebreaking capabilities on the Great Lakes. It’s time we get those reports and chart a productive path forward.”

Congresswoman McDonald Rivet’s Great Lakes Icebreaker Act was signed into law in December 2025; the legislation mandated the Coast Guard produce a plan to design and build a new Great Lakes icebreaker and a report analyzing the effectiveness of the current icebreaking fleet. Those deliverables were due March 18, 2026, and June 16, 2026, respectively. The Coast Guard has yet to fulfill these requirements or a separate order to create a public database for Great Lakes icebreaking operations. The letter has been endorsed by the Lake Carriers’ Association and the Great Lakes Maritime Task Force. 

The letter from the lawmakers reads, in part, “The National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2026, and past authorizations, included multiple requirements for public transparency, strategic deployment, and new construction of Great Lakes icebreakers, which have yet to be fulfilled. Prioritizing and completing these overdue requirements is a necessary commitment to commerce, national security, and safety throughout the Great Lakes region…

“We are grateful for the service provided by the men and women of the United States Coast Guard, and we urge you to prioritize the Great Lakes region during your expansion of the Coast Guard capacity and force size. Great Lakes icebreaking is essential for a prosperous region, and we look forward to your completion of these requirements before the next ice season.”

A copy of the letter can be found here.