RepresentativeJared Moskowitz(D-Fla.) sent a letter to Secretary of StateMarco Rubioand Defense SecretaryPete Hegsethcalling for the deployment of either the hospital shipUSNS ComfortorUSNS Mercyto support the humanitarian response.
“The earthquakes have killed over a thousand people and injured thousands more, with thousands more people unaccounted for. The USNS Comfort and Mercy can save lives,” Moskowitz said.
In his letter, Moskowitz said the Navy’s hospital ships are uniquely suited to provide advanced surgical care, emergency medicine, intensive care, diagnostic services, and inpatient treatment while also serving as platforms for coordinating broader humanitarian relief efforts. He pointed to the deployment ofUSNS Comfortfollowing Haiti’s 2010 earthquake as a successful example of the ships’ disaster response capabilities.
The request comes as questions remain about the availability of the Navy’s two hospital ships.
gCaptain previously reported thatUSNS Mercyarrived at Vigor Shipyard in Portland, Oregon, in March for a scheduled multi-month maintenance availability after completing a transit from the Gulf Coast. Meanwhile, sister shipUSNS Comforthas remained at Alabama Shipyard undergoing its own maintenance period. The operational status of either vessel has not been publicly updated, raising uncertainty over whether one could be activated quickly for a humanitarian deployment.
Moskowitz acknowledged that any deployment would require coordination with the Venezuelan government, international humanitarian organizations, and regional partners but argued the scale of the disaster warrants the use of one of the Navy’s floating hospitals.
The letter comes as U.S. military assets are already participating in rescue efforts following last week’s powerful seismic doublet, which caused widespread destruction across northern Venezuela and left thousands injured or missing.
