Coast Guard Authorization Act of 2008

COAST GUARD AUTHORIZATION ACT OF 2008 -- (House of Representatives - April 24, 2008)

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Mr. McCAUL of Texas. I rise in support of this amendment. I want to commend my colleague, Congressman Cuellar, for bringing this amendment to the floor, and I am honored to support it. He has a great deal of expertise in this area. We have traveled to the border towns together, both on the United States side and in Mexico, and I met with law enforcement on both sides of the aisle and with government officials and we served on the United States-Mexico Interparliamentary Group. He understands the importance of security at the border, and particularly in the post 9/11 world.

Currently, there is little Coast Guard presence on international waterways shared with Mexico. This amendment would require the United States Coast Guard to provide an analysis of their mission strength for the navigable portions of the Rio Grande River in Texas. The amendment also asks the U.S. Coast Guard to identify what resources would be needed to increase the Coast Guard's presence along the international boundary of the Rio Grande River.

One of the Coast Guard's most important functions is providing safety and security in international waters, and the safety of the international border is a national security concern as the level of violence in Mexico increases and continues to spill across our border. Contraband and undocumented people continue to pass and cross the border into the United States, despite our best efforts. This amendment may also pave the way for future studies assessing the need for Coast Guard presence in other areas of the United States where waterways are shared on the border of Mexico and with Canada.

So having said that, I want to thank my colleague, Mr. Cuellar, for bringing this amendment, and I rise in support.

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