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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 while increasing 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 their location—in proximity to cables related to national security—raise red flags.”

“In spite of all this,” Cruz continues “the administration seeks to axe a dedicated program enabling emergency repairs of undersea cables—the CSF Program—in order to spend more money on woke nonsense."

Sen. Cruz emphasized Congress's authorization for maintaining domestic capabilities for repairing undersea cables during conflicts.

“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 MARAD—a Department of Transportation (DOT) operating administration—to contract with privately owned U.S.-flagged cable vessels available during national emergencies. The security of undersea cables depends on having access to these ‘trusted’ ships rather than relying on foreign-flagged repair ships sometimes owned by foreign adversaries which may be recalled or otherwise pose risks during conflict.”

“Congress authorized $10 million annually for contracting two cable vessels from Fiscal Year 2021 through Fiscal Year 2035 for this purpose," he added "Despite this statutory authorization, MARAD's proposed budget for Fiscal Year 2025 requests no funding for this program.”

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

“The administration’s request zeroing out funds for CSF is puzzling considering increased attacks on undersea cables,” he said “In 2018 AP reported Russia had capabilities cutting top-secret cables connecting them jamming sensors detecting intrusions.”

Last spring NATO warned Russia might sabotage undersea cables retaliating Western support Ukraine; U.S officials raised concerns about foreign-repair-ships reliance absent-CSF-program posing-security-threats underwater-cables-vulnerable-tampering tapping-data-streams reconnaissance-military-links stealing-intellectual-property-used-cable-equipment NATO launched new center last summer protecting-underwater-infrastructure reports Russian-ships actively mapping-critical-underwater-infrastructure.

In conclusion letter calls DOT provide documents related-CSF-program guidance-documents-DEI environmental-justice additionally Sen-Cruz asks schedule briefing committee discussing threats-attacks-underwater-cables how-DOT-MARAD plan ensuring continuity-communications-networks-conflict without-operative-CSF-program.

Read full-letter HERE.