Lawmakers are warning the Biden administration not to disrupt the procurement plans for the Virginia-class attack boat program, arguing doing so will hobble the AUKUS partnership.

In a letter, key Republican and Democrat lawmakers on the House Armed Services Committee urged President Joe Biden to continue buying two Virginia-class submarines per year to maintain a healthy industrial base and build enough submarine capacity that the U.S. can sell boats to the Australians. The bipartisan message comes as the White House and Pentagon consider requesting only one Virginia-class submarine in the Fiscal Year 2025 defense budget, several industry and defense officials. Last year’s budget request projected the Navy buying two boars per year for the foreseeable future.

“Simply put, now is not the time to insert instability in the supply chain with uncertainty in procurement rates,” lawmakers wrote in the letter, dated Jan. 17.

“The FY2025 budget will come at a pivotal time for the Virginia-class submarine program and sustaining our unmatched edge in the undersea domain. Any deviation from the planned cadence of the construction and procurement of two submarines per year will reverberate both at home and abroad, with allies and competitors alike.”