On Tuesday, the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee (T&I) approved bipartisan legislation to authorize funding for the U.S. Coast Guard through 2029.
The legislation, the Coast Guard Authorization Act of 2025, was initially introduced by U.S. Reps. Sam Graves (R-MO), chair of T&I, and Rick Larsen (D-WA), T&I’s ranking member, as well as U.S. Reps. Mike Ezell (R-MS) and Salud Carbajal (D-CA), chair and ranking member of the Coast Guard and Maritime Transportation Subcommittee.
“This bill provides the men and women of the Coast Guard with the resources they need to carry out their missions, which are critical to ensuring maritime safety, enforcing U.S. laws at sea, and protecting our nation’s borders,” Graves said. “The legislation builds upon the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, which provided historic investments for new air and sea assets and upgraded shoreside infrastructure, and it establishes a Coast Guard Service Secretary to provide the Coast Guard parity with other military services and a voice to advocate for its needs.”
The legislation authorizes appropriations for the Coast Guard through Fiscal Year 2029 that will support its operations and continued recapitalization of its cutter fleet, aviation assets, shoreside facilities and IT capabilities. The bill also modernizes the Coast Guard’s acquisition process while increasing transparency and accountability, and opening up a pathway for next-generation autonomous technologies.
Officials said the bill also includes the establishment of a Secretary of the Coast Guard and stronger protections for members of the Coast Guard from sexual assault and harassment based on legislation the T&I committee introduced in the previous Congress, which will bring the agency into greater parity with other armed services branches.
“This bipartisan bill provides the tools, training, and technology our service members need to stay mission-ready — whether it’s securing our borders, responding to disasters, or ensuring safe maritime commerce,” Ezell said. “I’m especially proud that language to establish a Secretary of the Coast Guard, a bill I introduced, is included in this package, helping to ensure strong, accountable leadership at the highest levels of the Service.”
Officials said the legislation will also strengthen U.S.-build requirements and improve accountability for the U.S. shipbuilding industry while making changes to maritime safety laws, amending requirements for merchant mariner credentials, increasing vessel safety and improving regulatory processes.