The Champ Clarke Bridge over the Mississippi River between Missouri and Illinois. (Missouri Department of Transportation)
President Donald Trump has nominated Brent Sadler to become the next administrator of the Maritime Administration, the agency responsible for U.S. waterborne transportation.
Sadler is a 26-year U.S. Navy veteran and former submariner. He is a senior research fellow in naval warfare and advanced technology at The Heritage Foundation and author of “U.S. Naval Power in the 21st Century: A New Strategy for Facing the Chinese and Russian Threat.”
The White House nominated Sadler without fanfare or a press release. Instead, the presidential action was listed on the website as Actions: PN55-39 — 119th Congress (2025-2026).
Sadler would fill the position vacated Jan. 12 by Biden administration-appointed Ann Phillips, retired U.S. Navy rear admiral.
Created in 1950, MARAD is under the Department of Transportation now led by Secretary Sean Duffy.
MARAD has oversight of the U.S. Marine Highway system grants to increase freight movement on the 27,000 miles of navigable American waterways. The grant program works with marine highway stakeholders such as truckers, shippers and manufacturers, ports and terminals to strengthen the national supply chain transportation.
The Trump administration submitted the nomination March 24, and the Senate received it the same day. The appointment has been referred to the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation, which is chaired by Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas).
(Maritime Administration)
Sadler provided testimony recently during a House of Representatives hearing before the Committee on Oversight and Accountability and Subcommittee on Military and Foreign Affairs.
A U.S. Naval Academy graduate, Sadler earned a Master of Science degree in national strategy and security from the National War College in Washington and a Master of Arts degree in global studies/national security from Sophia University in Tokyo.
