VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. — President Donald Trump has pushed for a new class of nuclear-powered battleships that could potentially be built in Hampton Roads, but the proposal faces an uncertain future after Democrats won control of Congress in last week's elections.
Trump unveiled the proposal late last year, saying the new warships would help maintain U.S. military superiority while strengthening the nation's shipbuilding industry.
"They'll help maintain American military supremacy, revive the American shipbuilding industry and inspire fear in America's enemies all over the world," Trump said.
WATCH: Trump's new battleship class could be assembled at Newport News Shipbuilding facility
But Democrat Elaine Luria, the winner of Virginia's 2nd Congressional District, is skeptical of the proposal.
Luria, a Navy veteran and former member of Congress, hopes to once again serve on the House Armed Services Committee, which would give her a role in overseeing defense spending.
"The Trump-class battleship, I mean, it is a harebrained idea," said Luria during an interview with News 3 on Nov. 5.
The Congressional Budget Office estimates the first ship would cost about $23 billion.
The Navy has said it expects the ships would be assembled at Newport News Shipbuilding because they would be nuclear-powered. But that possibility has also raised questions about the shipyard's capacity as it works to build aircraft carriers and other vessels.
Luria said her biggest concern isn't the ship's proposed name, but what another major nuclear-powered shipbuilding program could mean for the industrial base.
"People are up in arms because they're naming it after Trump," Luria said. "But I'm the most concerned about what this is going to do to our industrial base."
WATCH: Elaine Luria looks ahead to return to Congress after winning Virginia’s 2nd District
A spokesperson for HII, Newport News Shipbuilding's parent company, previously told News 3 that the company stands ready to support the Navy's requirements.
Trump has argued the battleship program could play a role in rebuilding the country's shipbuilding industry, saying his administration intends to "restore America as a major shipbuilding power."
But Democratic control of Congress could put the cost, feasibility and future of the proposal under greater scrutiny.
Luria questioned what building another nuclear-powered vessel could mean for submarine construction and other Navy priorities.
"This is a situation where no one on the Armed Services Committee is standing up and saying, like, well, you know, how exactly are we going to do this?" Luria said. "What's the impact on our submarine construction going to be if we try to build another nuclear-powered vessel, not to mention the cost, the cost to taxpayers?"
The proposal could become part of a larger debate over Navy spending and America's shipbuilding capacity when the new Congress takes office in January.
Trump, meanwhile, will remain in office for another two years.
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