During a Senate Finance Committee hearing, U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer informed lawmakers that not all of the proposed multimillion-dollar fees for Chinese-built ships docking at U.S. ports will be put into effect. Greer explained that the goal of the proposals was to boost shipbuilding in the United States. The USTR plans to carefully consider stakeholder feedback to ensure that the incentives provided are appropriate. Greer clarified that the port fees are potential measures to encourage domestic shipbuilding and they will not all be enforced or combined. While steelmakers and industry unions supported the idea, there were many opponents, including farmers, energy producers, and domestic vessel operators who feared the fees could financially burden them to the point of shutting down. Furthermore, concerns were raised that the fees might disrupt the supply chain similar to the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic. Legal experts and maritime professionals highlighted the ambiguity in the proposal language released in February. They noted that the fees, which target China-based operators and vessels, could accumulate and possibly amount to $3.5 million per port visit in certain cases.