[Congressional Record Volume 163, Number 204 (Thursday, December 14, 2017)]
[Senate]
[Pages S8038-S8039]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                     COAST GUARD AUTHORIZATION ACT

  Mr. SULLIVAN. Mr. President, I rise today to commend this body. My 
colleagues, every single Senator, voted in unanimous consent to move 
forward on the National Defense Authorization Act, which was signed 
into law just this week by President Trump. In particular, I want to 
thank the chairman of the Armed Services Committee, John McCain, who 
did so much to shepherd this important piece of legislation through 
this body and to the President's desk. I thank Senator McCain for all 
his service and sacrifice to America for decades.
  The NDAA, as we all know, is an important, critical piece of 
legislation, boosting our national security, rebuilding our military 
readiness, and protecting the men and women in uniform who serve our 
Nation. It has been a piece of legislation that for 56 consecutive 
years on a bipartisan basis has moved through the Senate and the House 
to be signed by the President. Many times you hear there is not a lot 
of bipartisanship that is going on in Washington. On issues like this, 
there is. This bill, which authorizes almost $700 billion for our 
troops who need it, passed the Senate unanimously.
  Not all the members of the military had their bill, which authorized 
spending and funding for what they are doing, moved through the 
Congress. Unfortunately, our men and women in the U.S. Coast Guard--our 
Nation's fifth branch of service--have been, once again, left behind. 
The NDAA covers the Army, Air Force, Navy, and Marines.
  The Coast Guard Authorization Act focuses on the heroic men and women 
in the Coast Guard. This year, we worked hard on that bill, S. 1129, 
the Coast Guard Authorization Act of 2017. I sponsored this bill with 
Chairman John Thune, the chairman of the Commerce Committee; Ranking 
Member Bill Nelson; and Senator Lisa Murkowski. This bipartisan bill--
and it is very bipartisan--will give the Coast Guard the resources it 
needs to protect our waterways and coastlines, block illegal 
traffickers and smugglers of drugs, and more efficiently procure future 
Coast Guard cutters, which our country, and my State, desperately need. 
It is a very, very important bill.
  In constructing this legislation, we worked in a bipartisan manner 
for months. However, despite broad support from both Republicans and 
Democrats, it appears the Coast Guard Authorization Act--a critical 
bill for homeland security, for the safety of our mariners and 
fishermen, and for showing support to the thousands of men and women 
who serve in the Coast Guard--has become stuck.
  As chairman of the committee responsible for the U.S. Coast Guard, I 
must speak up for the men and women of this important service and the 
critical services they provide. This bill should have been moving 
months ago. Not only does this bill contain critical needs and 
authorizations and funding authorizations for the Coast Guard, it also 
contains provisions of vital importance to our maritime and fishing 
communities. Included in this legislation is important language to 
permanently fix an issue that has been around for years--one that 
pertains to incidental discharges for those in our fishing fleets. It 
is also known as the Vessel Incidental Discharge Act, or VIDA, as part 
of the Coast Guard bill.
  Currently, vessel owners and operators are forced to comply with a 
patchwork of burdensome Federal and State regulations for vessel 
ballast water and incidental discharges. This creates inefficiency, 
adds costs, and inhibits economic prosperity for my State and for the 
country, while not providing a uniform standard to protect the 
environment, which is also critical. This fix that is in the Coast 
Guard bill would provide the maritime industry, the fishing industry, 
with a consistent, uniform regulatory structure, restoring cost-
effective commerce while also ensuring environmental protection of our 
Nation's ports, waterways, and fisheries. Notably, for a large number 
of my constituents, this provision--the VIDA provision in the Coast 
Guard bill--provides a permanent exemption on incidental vessel 
discharge for all fishing vessels and small commercial boats.
  It is very important because previous legislation required even small 
fishing vessels to get a discharge permit from the EPA to simply hose 
down their decks. These fishing vessels and small vessels are facing 
potential noncompliance if we fail to pass the Coast Guard bill soon. 
They should not be penalized for the refusal of some of my colleagues--
very few of my colleagues--who are opponents of this important fix to 
allow for what we think is a bipartisan, negotiated solution to move 
forward.
  The fix in this bill on VIDA is supported by all segments of the 
maritime industry, with U.S. and international vessel owners and 
operators, fishing vessels--both large and small--passenger vessels, 
charter boat operators, labor unions, the Navy League of the United 
States, marine terminals, and port authorities throughout the country, 
just to name a few, all in support.
  There is broad bipartisan support and agreement by Democrats and 
Republicans that this bill--with the VIDA provision in the Coast Guard 
Authorization Act--should move forward. I was going to come here this 
evening and ask unanimous consent that we pass the bill now. Out of 
respect for some of my colleagues who are still working in good faith 
on this issue, I have decided to refrain from that, but we are losing 
patience.
  There have been numerous suggested compromises to help get a few 
Senators to yes on this. We have accepted almost every single one of 
them. We are negotiating in good faith. We even held a big meeting this 
afternoon with many staff on another suggestion, which the EPA said was 
an unworkable idea.
  I believe we are now down to one single issue on this important piece 
of legislation. Out of respect for my colleagues--one of whom I just 
got off the phone with, the Senator from Michigan, whom I have a very 
close working relationship on the committee that oversees the Coast 
Guard because he is my ranking member--we are going to try to work 
through the weekend and resolve this. I hope that the remaining 
Senators act in good faith. What we don't want to see, as we accept 
every single compromise put forward, is the goalpost continuously being 
moved.
  The deadline is fast approaching for our fishermen and maritime 
fleet. We must get this done. The deadline has long past to show that 
we respect, care for, and want to do all we can to support the men and 
women in the Coast Guard the way we support the other military 
services, as we saw this week when President Trump passed a very 
bipartisan NDAA.
  I call on all of my colleagues to work through the weekend so that we 
can get to yes on this very important bill--the Coast Guard bill--and 
so that we can support them the way we are supporting the other men and 
women in our military.
  I yield the floor.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from Rhode Island.
  Mr. WHITEHOUSE. Mr. President, I first thank my friend from Alaska 
for

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his enthusiasm for getting the Coast Guard legislation completed. As a 
fellow ocean State, albeit a somewhat smaller ocean State, we are 
strong supporters of our Coast Guard and appreciate very much their 
service on our waters.

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