Department of Homeland Security Appropriations Act, 2014

Floor Speech

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Mr. HUNTER. I thank the gentleman for yielding.

As the chairman of the Subcommittee on Coast Guard and Maritime Transportation, it is my pleasure to rise today in very strong support of H.R. 2217.

Earlier this year, the President released a fiscal year 2014 budget that would cut funding for the Coast Guard by nearly 10 percent below current levels. This is the second year in a row that this President has asked the Coast Guard to sacrifice mission readiness and success to pay for his questionable spending at other agencies.

The President's budget would slash the service's acquisitions budget by 42 percent below current levels and would severely undermine efforts to recapitalize the service's aging and failing legacy assets, increase acquisition costs for taxpayers, and seriously degrade mission effectiveness. The President's proposed budget points to a future in which a downsized Coast Guard would fail to be able to accomplish even its most basic missions, and the cost could be measured in lives. Fortunately, the bill Chairman Carter has put before us totally rejects the massive cuts proposed by the President and ensures the Coast Guard is provided with the resources needed to carry out its very critical missions.

I want to thank Chairman Carter, Ranking Member Price, and staff for their tremendous efforts and for their commitment to the men and women of the Coast Guard and the safety of the maritime community.

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