Members of Congress on Thursday encouraged U.S. Navy and Marine Corps leaders to prioritize America’s maritime industrial base amid recent discussions about potentially building ships abroad.Lawmakers from both sides of the aisle spoke about the fiscal 2027 Defense Department budget request at a House Armed Services Committee hearing attended by Chief of Naval Operations Adm. Daryl Caudle, acting Navy Secretary Hung Cao and Marine Corps Commandant Gen. Eric Smith. The hearing comes several days after the Navy released a shipbuilding plan that codified the possibility of the service looking to foreign partners for help.“I will echo some of my Democrat…