Ranking Members Larsen, Carbajal Statements from Hearing on Coast Guard Drug Interdiction, Migration and Illegal Fishing Enforcement

Press Release

"Thank you, Chairman Webster.

I want to take this opportunity to discuss what has been and continues to be my top priority for the Coast Guard--its people.

We were recently alerted to major operational changes underway at the Coast Guard due to a personnel shortfall.

While the Coast Guard's mitigation plans will prioritize search and rescue operations, national security, and the marine transportation system, operational status across the Coast Guard will be adversely affected. Over 50 stations across the country will be affected through station downgrades, asset layups, or station closures.

While the underlying recruiting and retention problem has been exasperated by larger workforce trends and a declining interest in military service, chronic underfunding is a major factor.

The Coast Guard Academy and Training Center Cape May, the two main points of entry into the service, are in desperate need of infrastructure improvements. The first experience with the Coast Guard must reflect an organization that cares about and for its people.

Congress must do better to support Coasties and I hope my colleagues will join in my demand for significant increases to the Coast Guard's budget.

This August, I traveled with the Coast Guard to Panama where I had the opportunity to see firsthand how the Service conducts drug and migrant interdiction and its IUU fishing missions. I left the visit with several takeaways.

First, the Coast Guard alone is uniquely situated to execute these missions. Neither part of the State Department or the Department of Defense, the Coast Guard is able to form relationships and enter into agreements that would otherwise be impossible.

Second, the strong relationship with Panama and the associated benefits to the United States should be replicated in other places across world. With the current budget, that's simply not viable.

Lastly, members of the Coast Guard are truly the backbone of the Service. One day a Coastie may be training Panamanians to conduct fishing vessel inspections while the next day they're interdicting drugs on the high seas. They break ice on the Great Lakes and issue credentials for merchant mariners. They are truly our country's best kept secret and value multiplier.

The Coast Guard's footprint, both domestically and internationally, continues to grow and the distinct but related missions we're covering today demonstrate the unique and important role of the service.

Combatting international Illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) fishing ensures equitable access to food, safeguards our oceans, and prevents forced labor and human trafficking.

Drug interdiction stops the flow of drugs before they reach American shores and combats transnational criminal organizations.

The Coast Guard's role in migrant interdiction ensures that the least fortunate among us, who choose to board a vessel to come to the U.S., do not perish at sea.

I look forward to hearing more about these missions and how Congress can support Coasties to ensure that the Coast Guard remains Semper Paratus."

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