[Congressional Record Volume 158, Number 88 (Tuesday, June 12, 2012)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E1040-E1041]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




        DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY APPROPRIATIONS ACT, 2013

                                 ______
                                 

                               speech of

                          HON. C.W. BILL YOUNG

                               of florida

                    in the house of representatives

                        Wednesday, June 6, 2012

       The House in Committee of the Whole House on the state of 
     the Union had under consideration the bill (H.R. 5855) making 
     appropriations for Department of Homeland Security for the 
     fiscal year ending September 30, 2013, and for other 
     purposes:

  Mr. YOUNG of Florida. Mr. Chair, as we complete consideration of H.R. 
5855, the Department of Homeland Security Appropriations bill which 
funds the United States Coast Guard, I rise to share with my colleagues 
another example of why it remains one of our most important and 
efficient federal agencies.
  Just last month, the crew of USCGC Resolute, based in Sector St. 
Petersburg, Florida which I have the privilege to represent, 
intercepted shipments of cocaine in the Caribbean valued at $135 
million.
  The interdictions occurred during a two-month period and were a 
direct result of Operation Martillo, a U.S., European, and Western 
Hemisphere effort to target illicit trafficking routes on Central 
American coasts. On May 31, 2012, Resolute returned to St. Petersburg 
after an eight-week deployment in the Western Caribbean in support of 
counter-narcotics and search and rescue operations with the 168 bales 
of cocaine.
  Sector St. Petersburg has proudly served our community, the Gulf 
Coast and our nation since 1924. It is one of the Coast Guard's largest 
commands, patrolling over 370 nautical miles of Florida's coastline. 
The west coast's vulnerability to smuggling unwanted goods and drugs 
makes it a critical sector and point of interest for our nation. Coast 
Guard Sector St. Petersburg's chief operational duties include Search 
and Rescue, Maritime Homeland Security, Law Enforcement, and Waterways

[[Page E1041]]

Management. The men and women of Resolute and Sector St. Petersburg 
continue to do an outstanding job of defending our coastline, 
patrolling our fisheries, and providing life-saving search and rescue 
operations throughout the Gulf of Mexico and the Caribbean.
  Mr. Chair, it is a great honor to be the only member of this House to 
represent four separate and distinct Coast Guard operations: Sector St. 
Petersburg, Air State Clearwater, Search and Rescue Station Sand Key, 
and Port Security Unit 307. Each carries out a vital mission to protect 
our nation and its men and women serve here and aboard to fulfill these 
critical responsibilities. With the passage of this appropriations bill 
tonight, we provide the Coast Guard with the equipment and resources it 
needs to undertake its training and missions safely. Please join me in 
saying congratulations to the crew of USCGC Resolute, the members of 
Sector St. Petersburg, and all the Coasties who serve our great nation 
in uniform for a job well done.

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