Last week, the Transportation and Infrastructure (T&I) Committee approved H.R. 2741, the Coast Guard Authorization Act of 2023, which will authorize funding for the Coast Guard.
The bipartisan legislation was introduced on April 20 by T&I Committee Chairman Sam Graves, R-Mo., T&I Committee Ranking Member Rick Larsen, D-Wash., Coast Guard and Maritime Transportation Subcommittee Chairman Daniel Webster, R-Fla., and Coast Guard and Maritime Transportation Subcommittee Ranking Member Salud Carbajal, D-Ca. The bill now awaits consideration by the full House of Representatives.
The bill provides $14.24 billion for the Coast Guard for fiscal year 2024 and $14.78 billion for fiscal year 2025.
“The Coast Guard continues to suffer from insufficient funding," said Larsen. "In recent years, this has resulted in a $3 billion shoreside infrastructure backlog, a lack of icebreaking capacity in the Arctic and the Great Lakes, as well as reduced capacity across several essential missions such as marine safety and oil spill response. H.R. 2741 works to fix these problems."
“Recruitment challenges and insufficient budgets have stretched the Coast Guard thin at a time when its services are at an ever-increasing demand," said Webster. "The bipartisan Coast Guard Authorization Act will provide the resources needed to help with readiness and the Service’s ability to carry out and meet its missions."
“As the top Democrat on the Coast Guard and Maritime Transportation Subcommittee, I’m proud to once again help lead bipartisan legislation that will have the back of our Coast Guard – providing the resources it needs to complete these missions, support infrastructure and safety upgrades, and improve the quality of life for our Coasties,” said Carbajal.
More information on H.R. 2741, including bill text and amendments approved, can be found here.
