Press Releases

Washington, DC – The Coast Guard and Maritime Transportation Subcommittee held a hearing yesterday focused on the challenges facing the U.S. Coast Guard’s efforts to recapitalize its ship and aircraft fleets, shoreside infrastructure, and information technology (IT) – all major assets necessary in carrying out is missions to secure our maritime borders, help stop the flow of illegal drugs and migrants into the country, perform search and rescue, and more. 

Subcommittee Chairman Mike Ezell (R-MS) began the hearing by noting the Service’s difficulties in recapitalizing under ongoing budget limitations: “The brave sentinels who carry out these missions should be supported by reliable ships, helicopters, and airplanes, but instead members of the Coast Guard find themselves on vessels and air assets that should have been retired long ago. The Coast Guard’s ability to ‘do more with less’ has unfortunately encouraged years of underinvestment and ever-increasing mission demands that have pushed the Service to the breaking point.”

Vice Admiral Thomas G. Allan Jr., Acting Deputy Commandant for Operations for the U.S. Coast Guard, discussed the Service’s missions and what’s needed to carry them out: “The Coast Guard is supporting national priorities and implementing orders from the President and senior civilian leadership in service to the American people at speed. This includes surging assets to increase presence in key areas to protect America’s maritime borders, maritime approaches, and national sovereignty. To continue meeting changing mission needs, the Service needs the right assets, systems, and infrastructure to support mission execution properly. That can only be accomplished with continued Congressional support and investment in a multibillion-dollar portfolio of acquisition programs that will deliver the right capabilities for the Coast Guard.”

Ezell raised concerns with Vice Admiral Allan about the Service’s failure to provide Congress with required yearly Capital Investment Plans and Major Acquisition Reports – reports intended to help Congress better evaluate and equip the Coast Guard with the resources it needs. Vice Admiral Allan committed to meeting these requirements:

Subcommittee Vice Chairman Addison McDowell (R-NC) noted the Trump Administration’s crackdown on border security, and asked Vice Admiral Allan about the Service’s preparations to further bolster U.S. ports of entry against drug and migrant traffickers:

McDowell also asked Vice Admiral Allan to discuss the importance of funding one major asset, the Service’s C-130 fleet, to the nation’s disaster response capability:

Heather MacLeod, Director of Homeland Security and Justice Programs at the U.S. Government Accountability Office, testified about the growing backlog of shore infrastructure projects (such as piers, lighthouses, housing, training centers, and command centers): “The Coast Guard faces multiple backlogs of shore infrastructure projects that it estimates will cost at least $7 billion to address as of June 2024. This is more than double the amount we reported in 2019…. Further, as we have previously testified, the Coast Guard’s shore infrastructure backlogs are contributing to a buildup of unaffordable acquisitions in both the near-term and long-term. This presents significant challenges to the Coast Guard’s major acquisition programs.”

Ezell asked MacLeod to elaborate on the backlog:

Ezell also noted at today’s hearing that ensuring a robust domestic shipbuilding capability, about which President Trump spoke in his March 4^th joint address to Congress, is critically important and would help further address the Coast Guard’s needs: “I also applaud the President for his strong vision in helping us get our shipbuilding industry back on track. In his speech last night, he set a clear leadership vision for investing in American shipyards through the establishment of a shipbuilding office, to strengthen our domestic capacity, our local economy, and local workforce.”

Click here for more information from the hearing, including video and witness testimony.