Sen. Cruz demands answers on DOT diverting money from undersea cable protections to DEI program

WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senate Commerce Committee Ranking Member Ted Cruz (R-Texas) sent a letter to Maritime Administration (MARAD) Rear Adm. Ann Phillips, demanding answers on why the Biden-Harris administration chose to defund the Cable Security Fleet (CSF) program while increasing spending on diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) initiatives. As global tensions escalate, Sen. Cruz argues that this decision undermines the United States’ strategic defense posture against adversaries like Russia and China, prioritizing liberal social policies over national security. 

The Maritime Administration’s CSF Program was created to maintain and repair undersea cables that are vital for the internet, digital commerce, and critical government and military communications. The program relies on trusted domestic ships rather than foreign-flagged vessels that might pose risks or reliability concerns during international conflicts. 

In the letter Sen. Cruz writes,  

“I am concerned by the Biden administration’s request to cut funding for the Maritime Administration (MARAD) Cable Security Fleet (CSF) Program while simultaneously increasing the operations budget of MARAD headquarters to advance 'diversity and equity priorities.’ The Biden administration’s decision to defund undersea cable security while increasing spending on DEI undermines the strategic defense posture of the United States against our adversaries, like Russia and China, in favor of radically liberal and unpopular social policies.” 

“Undersea cables form the backbone of modern communications and the global internet, carrying virtually all transoceanic digital commerce and communications, including sensitive government and military communications. Any disruption to these cables puts national and economic security at risk...”  

The letter highlights, that despite publicly identifying the security concerns related to undersea cable sabotage, the Biden-Harris administration seeks to defund the program and increased funding for DEI priorities. 

“While most undersea cable damage is unintentional, caused by innocuous activities like fishing or dragging anchor, it can also result from intentional sabotage. The administration acknowledged the security concerns by including undersea cables in a February 2024 National Science and Technology Council list of critical and emerging technologies that ‘are of particular importance to the national security of the United States.’” 

“Soon after the administration released this list, three cables beneath the Red Sea that support telecommunications between Asia and Europe were cut, causing a communication blackout.  

In May, U.S. officials alerted telecommunications companies that undersea cables could be vulnerable to tampering by Chinese repair ships, explaining that a state-controlled, Chinese cable repair company has been hiding its vessels’ whereabouts. The repeated gaps in transponder data from Chinese cable repair ships and the location of the ships—in the vicinity of cables that are related to national security—raises red flags.”  

“In spite of all this, the administration seeks to axe the dedicated program to enable repair of undersea cables in times of emergency, the CSF Program, in order to spend more money on woke nonsense." 

Sen. Cruz emphasized the Congressionally authorized program’s importance for the U.S. to maintain and repair undersea cables during times of conflict. 

“Congress created the CSF Program through the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2020 to ensure a domestic capability to maintain and repair undersea cables. The program requires that MARAD, an operating administration of the Department of Transportation (DOT), contract with privately owned U.S-flagged cable vessels to be available to the United States in times of national emergency. The security of undersea cables depends on having access to these “trusted” ships for maintenance and repair of cables, rather than relying on foreign-flagged repair ships sometimes owned by foreign adversaries, which may be recalled to their home countries or otherwise pose risks and reliability concerns during conflict.” 

“Congress authorized $10 million annually for the CSF program to contract with two cable vessels from Fiscal Year 2021 to Fiscal Year 2035. Despite this statutory authorization, the proposed budget for MARAD for Fiscal Year 2025 requests no funding for the program.” 

The letter points out recent threats from adversaries like Russia and China, 

“The administration’s request to zero out the CSF program is puzzling considering the uptick in attacks on undersea cables. In 2018, the Associated Press reported that Russia had the capability to cut top-secret cables, connect to them, and jam sensors that detect intrusions.” 

Last spring, NATO warned that Russia may sabotage undersea cables in retaliation for Western support of Ukraine. U.S. officials have raised concerns that foreign cable repair ships—on which we will further rely absent the CSF program—pose a security threat because underwater cables are vulnerable to tampering. Specifically, other countries could tap undersea data streams, conduct reconnaissance on U.S. military communication links, or steal valuable intellectual property used in cable equipment. NATO launched a new center last summer to protect undersea cables in light of reports that Russian ships have actively mapped critical undersea infrastructure.  

In conclusion, the letter calls for the Department of Transportation (DOT) to provide documents related to the CSF program, all guidance documents on DEI, and all guidance documents on environmental justice. Additionally, Sen. Cruz asks to schedule a briefing with the Committee to discuss threats and attacks on undersea cables and how DOT and MARAD plan to ensure continuity of undersea communications networks during conflict without an operative CSF program. 

Read the full letter HERE. 

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