Congress to Reject White House Budget Proposal for Coast Guard

Lawmakers said the White House’s fiscal 2020 budget proposal for the Coast Guard is “dead on arrival” in Congress because of a lack of funding for critical missions, Military.com reported Tuesday. Officials made the remarks during a House meeting with Coast Guard Commandant Adm. Karl Schultz. 

The White House proposed a $11.3 billion budget for the branch for 2020 with a discretionary funding $1 billion lower than the budget for 2019. It would reduce the Coast Guard’s operational capabilities, personnel and funding for a planned new heavy icebreaker. 

“The administration proposes underfunding the Coast Guard at a time when national disasters, cyber attacks and drug trafficking are making its efforts more difficult every day,” said Rep. Bennie Thompson, D-Miss., chairman of the Homeland Security Committee. 

Rep. Lou Correa, D-Calif., chairman of the Subcommittee on Transportation and Maritime Security, said the budget proposal “is dead on arrival since Congress will not entertain these cuts.”