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OPINION:
After the 9/11 attacks, Fred Rogers, aka “Mr. Rogers,” said that in times of crisis, we should “look for the helpers. You will always find people who are helping.”
One of the best examples of this is the U.S. Coast Guard.
Barely a week goes by without a story about a rescue performed by a Coast Guard crew. More than 165 lives were saved from the horrific flash flooding of the Guadalupe River in Texas by Coast Guard swimmer Scott Ruskan. It was his first rescue mission. Coast Guard helicopters saved more than 50 others trapped by the floodwaters.
Since 1790, the Coast Guard has safeguarded the American people, promoted national security and protected the nation from maritime threats. Today, it has dedicated and capable personnel stationed around the world.
As a past chairman and senior member of the House Transportation and Infrastructure subcommittee on Coast Guard and maritime transportation, I have had the privilege of meeting many of the men and women who serve in our nation’s Coast Guard.
The Coast Guard protects our maritime borders against drug trafficking and mass migrations from the Caribbean, operates our nation’s only icebreakers in the Arctic and Antarctic, and counters Chinese aggression in the Indo-Pacific. It is expected to project American sovereignty from the Atlantic, Gulf of America and Pacific to the Arctic and beyond. However, it has been hampered by years of underinvestment, leaving it with crumbling shoreside infrastructure, cutters that are operating well beyond their intended service life and an aviation fleet that requires modernization.
To continue these missions, the Coast Guard needs the right tools and resources. It needs Offshore Patrol Cutters to operate at the border in the Caribbean and the Indo-Pacific and Polar Security Cutters to continue its Arctic and Antarctic missions.
In the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, our Coast Guard men and women received a significant down payment to help achieve their mission. More than $24 billion is provided to the USCG through fiscal year 2029 for new operational assets and systems, including new fixed-wing aircraft, long-range unmanned aircraft, a series of cutter vessels and enhanced shore facilities. Securing this funding was one of my priorities, and I am thankful for President Trump and Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem’s leadership and focus on the Coast Guard, as well as the support of my Republican colleagues in the House and Senate.
This historic funding is a step in the right direction, but more work remains to be done. The House has introduced the bipartisan H.R. 4275 Coast Guard Authorization Act of 2025, which authorizes levels to provide the bare minimum needed to keep the service from losing even more ground. It also establishes a secretary of the Coast Guard to fight for the service’s interests within the Department of Homeland Security and other parts of the administration. The other armed services have such a service secretary and much better track records of getting the assets necessary to carry out their missions.
I am hopeful that under the leadership of Sen. Ted Cruz of Texas, the Senate will come to the table and also move this important legislation.
The way ahead will not be easy, but it is crucial to the safety and security of those who operate on the sea or rely on those who do. I will continue to work with the service and my colleagues to ensure that the Coast Guard remains always ready. Our national security depends on it.
• Rep. Daniel Webster represents Florida’s 11th Congressional District. He is a former chairman and senior member of the House Transportation and Infrastructure subcommittee on Coast Guard and maritime transportation.
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