[Congressional Record Volume 167, Number 104 (Tuesday, June 15, 2021)]
[Senate]
[Pages S4530-S4531]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




               UNWAVERING SUPPORT FOR OUR COAST GUARD ACT

  Mr. WICKER. Madam President, I rise today in strong support of our 
U.S. Coast Guard.
  For more than 230 years, the U.S. Coast Guard has watched over our 
shores, protected against foreign threats, lent a helping hand to those 
in need of rescue, and enforced the rule of law.
  The Coast Guard lives by its motto, ``Always Ready,'' and has earned 
the trust and admiration of the American people. America could not do 
without this uniquely capable branch of our military.
  The Coast Guard is so effective and so versatile that it is tasked 
with 11 statutory missions spanning the entire globe.
  One of the best known Coast Guard missions is search and rescue. The 
Coast Guard carries out 45 search and rescue missions on an average 
day, saving the lives and property of Americans in dire need.

  The Coast Guard also protects our ports and inland waterways, 
facilitating billions of dollars in trade and maintaining the 
navigation aids that make sea commerce possible. In today's global 
economy, 80 percent of international trade travels by sea. The Coast 
Guard plays a crucial role in screening commercial vessels, patrolling 
maritime infrastructure, and servicing aids to navigation, such as 
beacons and buoys. Each of these functions contributes to our Nation's 
prosperity and security.
  The Coast Guard is also increasingly involved in homeland security. 
It is largely the Coast Guard's job to deter potential threats before 
they arrive in U.S. ports. Coast Guard men and women can be found in 
every major port in America, conducting security boardings and 
escorting passenger and cargo vessels into our waterways. The Coast 
Guard also helps to enforce U.S. migration laws and saves the lives of 
those who foolishly risk everything to travel on unseaworthy vessels.
  Beyond this, the Coast Guard plays a crucial role in blocking 
narcotics and illegal weapons from entering our country. It is not 
uncommon for Americans to open their news feeds and read a report about 
the latest multimillion-dollar drug bust carried out at sea by the 
Coast Guard. In one recent example, three Coast Guard cutters joined 
efforts to intercept more than 11,000 pounds of cocaine valued at $220 
million. That was a remarkable feat, but not unusual for the U.S. Coast 
Guard.
  As the polar regions attract more interest from Congress, it should 
be known that the Coast Guard is America's surface presence in both the 
Arctic and the Antarctic waters. Coast Guard icebreakers carry out a 
wide range of operations, allowing us to have a sustained presence in 
Antarctica and conduct research in some of the most remote corners of 
the Earth.
  If all of these roles were not enough, the Coast Guard is taking on 
greater responsibilities in national security. Partnering side-by-side 
with the Navy, today's Coast Guard conducts freedom of navigation 
operations in the South China Sea, provides maritime security in the 
Middle East, and deters illegal fishing in international waters.
  This long list of responsibilities should make two things very clear: 
First, the Coast Guard is indeed capable and adept; and, secondly, it 
is being stretched increasingly thin. Today, the Coast Guard is being 
asked to carry out almost every maritime task imaginable, but Coast 
Guard funding has not kept up with these increased demands. The fifth 
branch of our military needs the certainty, predictable funding, and 
authorities necessary to accomplish all of its missions.
  Congress has the ability to meet these needs, and I am asking my 
colleagues to do so by supporting a new bill, the Unwavering Support 
for Our Coast Guard Act. This legislation would essentially do five 
things.
  No. 1, it would protect pay and allowances for Coast Guard members 
during the government shutdown. During the latest government shutdown, 
the Coast Guard members went without pay yet continued to serve 
admirably. This should not be allowed to happen again. We need to 
safeguard Coast Guard pay and allowances from failures here in 
Washington.
  No. 2, the legislation would provide full funding to eliminate the 
shore-side facility maintenance backlog while building resilience into 
these facilities.
  No. 3, the bill would enhance the diversity of the Coast Guard.
  No. 4, it would support needed renovations at the Coast Guard Yard in 
Maryland.
  And, No. 5, the bill would require the Coast Guard to tell us the 
assets and facilities it needs to complete all of its missions.
  For too long, the Coast Guard has been asked to do more with less. 
Congress needs to understand the true cost of modernizing and 
recapitalizing our Coast Guard fleet to meet its mission requirements 
in the increasingly complex maritime domain.
  I am proud of my State's role in supporting the Coast Guard's fleet 
recapitalization efforts. Mississippi is building two of the vessels 
that will be the vanguard of our Coast Guard for years to come: the 
National Security Cutter and the cutting-edge Polar Security Cutter.
  The National Security Cutters have already proven themselves to be 
the most capable and versatile ships the Coast Guard has ever used. 
They can deploy all around the world and integrate seamlessly with our 
NATO allies, and use next-generation technologies, like unmanned 
drones, to extend their reach. These cutters are especially effective 
at countering drug smuggling, illegal fishing, and illegal movement of 
migrants.
  America will also benefit significantly from the new Polar Security 
Cutters, which will be the first heavy icebreakers built in America 
since the 1970s. Our current fleet of icebreakers is aging and 
shrinking. We have fallen

[[Page S4531]]

far behind Russia in our icebreaker fleet, and the Arctic is quickly 
becoming a critical national security domain. A fleet of new Polar 
Security Cutters will allow us to maintain a heavy presence in polar 
regions and keep our adversaries at bay.
  America needs a capable and growing Coast Guard, and the Coast Guard 
needs the support of this legislation. I look forward to working with 
my colleagues to provide the Coast Guard with the resources it needs to 
continue its exemplary service to our Nation.
  I suggest the absence of a quorum.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The clerk will call the roll.
  The legislative clerk proceeded to call the roll.
  Mr. CRUZ. Madam President, I ask unanimous consent that the order for 
the quorum call be rescinded.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.

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