NEWPORT NEWS, Va. — As President Donald Trump wraps up his first 100 days in office, the White House has prioritized several key issues, including a significant reduction of the federal budget — however, the president showed a willingness to invest in America's military capacity.
Newport News Mayor Phillip Jones recently returned from meetings with federal officials in Washington, D.C., and emphasized the importance of maritime dominance for the U.S. military. His city has a vested interest in this topic.
"The first thing that comes to mind is Newport News Shipbuilding and all the ships that we've built here in Hampton Roads," Jones said.
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Newport News Shipbuilding is part of Huntington Ingalls Industries, the largest military shipbuilding company in the nation. In a recent address to Congress, Trump urged lawmakers to invest more energy and funding into shipbuilding. Mayor Jones believes this spending would have a positive ripple effect.
"A lot is going to be inside the yard, but a lot is going to be outside, whether it's quality of life or making sure that we can have more workforce development," he added.
Additionally, there is a push for increased air power in nearby Virginia Beach. Congresswoman Jen Kiggans, whose district includes Naval Air Station Oceana — the Navy's East Coast master jet base — discussed the possibility of relocating some F-35 squadrons from California to her area.
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"It's instrumental. I mean, we can't we can't just solely put all of our eggs in one basket on the West Coast," Kiggans stated.
The F-35s represent the next generation of naval air power as older F/A-18s are phased out. Kiggans noted the historical success of previous relocations.
"We have moved the F-18 there. We can do this successfully. We've done it in the past," she noted.
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However, any buildup in military resources would come with a hefty price tag. Dr. Bob McNab, chair of the economics department at Norfolk's Old Dominion University, warned that the Department of Defense budget could approach nearly a trillion dollars.
"The appropriators in Congress are talking about a Department of Defense budget that might near a trillion dollars," McNab said.
He expressed concerns that while increased spending might generate short-term growth, the long-term sustainability of such spending is in question.
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"You may get a short-term burst of growth because there's more spending, but we know in the longer term, because the fiscal house is on fire at the federal government level, it's not sustainable," McNab explained.
Despite these challenges, Mayor Jones remains optimistic that increased military spending could lead to significant economic growth in the region.
"Let's build the ships. Let's increase our workforce, but also let's have more people visit and really invest in downtown Newport News and the entire city," he concluded.
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