In a letter this week, U.S. Sen. Roger Wicker (R-MS), ranking member of the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation, called on President Joe Biden to increase U.S. Coast Guard funding by $3 billion to address shoreside infrastructure needs.
Released in advance of the president’s Fiscal Year 2023 Federal Budget, Wicker’s call was meant to counteract the effects of inflation, which he said the Coast Guard’s operations and maintenance funds had failed to keep pace against since at least 2010. This resulted in a significant loss in purchasing power.
Against this, Wicker said the Coast Guard’s services are needed now more than ever.
“Over the past decade, the U.S. Coast Guard has taken on a greater number of missions to detect, deter, and disrupt terrorist threats and other criminal activity,” Wicker wrote. “As a result, Coast Guard capabilities and resources are in greater demand now than at any time in our nation’s history. The Coast Guard’s increased activity has provided additional maritime law enforcement, disaster response efforts, and security operations in the U.S. domain. This is true both at home, and in the projection of power and the rule of law abroad in places like the Indo-Pacific.”
While the Coast Guard has often had to do with less than the ideal, Wicker noted that more resources would make it more effective. While investments to modernize its fleet have begun to have an effect – many of its ships, in the past, were built back in the 1960s – the senator claimed the service remains underfunded overall.
“Every Coast Guard mission begins and ends at a shore facility. The Coast Guard owns or leases more than 20,000 such facilities, nearly half of which are beyond their useful service life,” Wicker said. “These piers, boat stations, sectors, and air stations, which are spread across more than 2,700 locations, represent a strategic opportunity to enhance the Coast Guard’s operational effectiveness. We can and should do better for our Coast Guard men and women.”
In addition to the $3 billion boost, Wicker asked the U.S. Department of Homeland Security budget for FY2023 to continue to support the Coast Guard’s recapitalization efforts.