The Portsmouth Naval Shipyard can now hire new staff.
The shipyard along with all other shipyards in the U.S. are now exempt from a civilian hiring freeze issued by the Department of Defense, according to Maine Sen. Susan Collins, who co-wrote a bipartisan letter to the Navy last month.
In the letter, she pushed for the exemption, saying any reduction of the shipyard’s workforce could jeopardize national security by increasing submarine maintenance timelines.