Letter to Mick Mulvaney, Director of the Office of Management and Budget and Kristjen Nielsen, Secretary of Homeland Security - Courtney Opposes Cutting Coast Guard Funding To Pay For Operations On The Southern Border

Letter

Dear Director Mulvaney and Secretary Nielsen,

A Washington Post report recently revealed that the Trump administration may shift $77 million from the U.S. Coast Guard's budget to support Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) operations. As co-chairs and members of the Coast Guard Caucus, we have significant concerns with this proposed transfer of funds, and believe it would adversely impact the Coast Guard's ability to carry out their responsibilities.

Our border is only as secure as its weakest link, and efforts to strengthen and secure our land border will be undermined by actions that make our 12,000-mile maritime border more permeable. The Coast Guard is the most effective resource we have to mitigate the threats of smugglers and illicit cargo coming to the United States by sea. The results speak for themselves--in 2017, the Coast Guard interdicted 223 metric tons of cocaine and detained 708 suspected smugglers for prosecution in the maritime domain. Siphoning off the Coast Guard's resources makes no sense considering the important role that the Coast Guard plays in protecting our maritime border.

The Coast Guard's maritime security activities represent just part of the its 11 statutory missions. Past years have clearly demonstrated the Coast Guard's unique capabilities for hurricane response and search and rescue activities, among other missions. Any effort to reduce the Coast Guard's funding and threaten its capability to carry out any of its critical missions would be unacceptable.

Finally, despite being one of five armed services, the Coast Guard was the only service to suffer the full impact of spending cuts imposed under the Budget Control Act. As the Coast Guard is working to recapitalize its fleet and put a much-needed funding increase to good use, now is not the time to take a step backwards. We urge you to reject efforts to shift funds from the Coast Guard to ICE, and recognize that the Coast Guard plays a vital role in protecting our national security and guarding our coasts.

Sincerely,

REP. JOE COURTNEY

REP. DUNCAN HUNTER

REP. JOHN GARAMENDI

REP. FRANK A. LOBIONDO

REP. RICK LARSEN

REP. DON YOUNG

REP. BILL PASCRELL, JR.

REP. JUAN VARGAS

REP. JOHN RUTHERFORD

REP. JENNIFFER GONZALEZ-COLON

REP. JULIA BROWNLEY

REP. MARCY KAPTUR

REP. FILEMON VELA

REP. COLLEEN HANABUSA

REP. NANETTE DIAZ BARRAGÁN

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