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Opening remarks, as prepared, of Coast Guard and Maritime Transportation Subcommittee Chairman Mike Ezell (R-MS) from today’s hearing entitled “Always Ready: A Day in the Life of a United States Coast Guard Member”:

Today, our subcommittee meets to highlight the extraordinary work the enlisted men and women of the Coast Guard do, day in and day out, to save lives at sea, interdict drugs and migrants, keep our maritime transportation system safe and reliable, and perform all of their other primary duties. I welcome our witnesses for this afternoon’s hearing: Vice Admiral Nathan Moore, Deputy Commandant of the Coast Guard for Operations; and Master Chief Phillip Waldron, Master Chief Petty Officer of the Coast Guard.

The Coast Guard’s record of achievement is a testament to the skill and bravery of its service members. Just last year, the Service saved 5,220 lives and assisted nearly 20,000 people. Also last year, the Coast Guard interdicted 511,000 pounds of drugs — stopping 193 million potentially lethal doses from reaching our shores. These missions are carried out largely by the Coast Guard’s enlisted workforce. We ask a lot of those enlisted service members who make up a significant majority of the Coast Guard’s active duty military population.

Just before this hearing, Members of the Subcommittee had the opportunity to speak with four members of the Coast Guard enlisted workforce over lunch. Those men and women represented different specialties across the Service. I am sure I can speak for everyone on the Subcommittee when I tell you these are impressive individuals and we applaud their service.

Despite their remarkable achievements, the Coast Guard’s workforce faces challenges in accessing adequate housing, education, and childcare. I had the privilege to travel this August with the Coast Guard. I went to New Orleans, Pascagoula, Pensacola, and Key West. To be quite frank, I was horrified to see how neglected our service members are. They live and work and protect communities across every corner of our nation, including in some of the most remote parts, where it can be difficult to develop infrastructure. Beyond that, we have boats that are beyond their planned service life, infrastructure dating back to World War II, and planes and helicopters which are way beyond their planned service life. We even have rescue swimmers who train in a recreational pool, because their own training facility suffered a catastrophic failure, and Coasties who do boat maintenance outdoors, uncovered in extreme heat.  

This year, we were also reminded of the physical risk that comes with these missions by the death of a rescue swimmer in the line of duty and reports of potentially debilitating brain injuries among boat crews operating in heavy surf.

Vice Admiral Moore, I am sure you will agree that, as a nation, we owe our Coasties adequate living conditions, world-class training, proper working conditions, and, if they’re injured on the job, the confidence that they will be taken care of.  

While shoreside facilities have fallen into disrepair, impacting the readiness of the Service, I am hopeful the investments made in the One Big Beautiful Bill will begin to improve conditions. But true progress will only happen through annual appropriations at sustainable levels. Neither the budget request nor the Appropriations Committee provide that sustainable level. I am afraid that without continued investment at the levels needed, we will see a catastrophic failure of Coast Guard assets. I look forward to hearing from both of our witnesses how the Service is working to improve conditions for its workforce.

I am also glad to see the Coast Guard respond so quickly to the realization of brain injury risks among crew, but many questions remain. I am interested in hearing greater detail of the Coast Guard’s response, and how you plan to restore the confidence of your operators.

Thank you again for joining us. I look forward to your testimony.

Click here for more information from today’s hearing, including video and witness testimony.