Washington, D.C. — The following are opening remarks, as prepared for delivery, from Ranking Member of the House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure Rick Larsen (D-WA) and Ranking Member of the Subcommittee on Coast Guard and Maritime Transportation Salud Carbajal (D-CA) during today’s hearing titled, "Drugs, Thugs and Fish: Examining Coast Guard Law Enforcement Efforts."
Video of Ranking Member Larsen’s and Carbajal’s opening statements can be found here and here.
More information on the hearing can be found here.
Ranking Member Larsen:
Thank you, Chairmen McDowell and Ezell, for calling this timely hearing.
Every day, the women and men of the Coast Guard coordinate and execute law enforcement operations to halt illicit activities, protect lives and safeguard the interests of the United States.
Through partnerships with other federal agencies and international allies, Coasties interrupt and intercept individuals breaking U.S. and international laws.
The Coast Guard has been enforcing maritime laws for 250 years—and it shows. From drug and migrant interdiction to IUU fishing enforcement, nobody does it better.
Recently, the Coast Guard has intercepted and seized several shadow fleet oil tankers in the Caribbean. By violating international law, these vessels and their operators became subject to search and seizure by the Coast Guard—a longstanding Coast Guard authority in these venues
To ensure a safely executed mission, Coast Guard personnel work closely with other agencies. While recent operations have received public attention, it is not uncommon for the Coast Guard to exercise this authority.
There are hundreds of “dark fleet” commercial vessels operating in violation of fishing laws, labor laws and, in some cases, trafficking people and narcotics. While the Administration has chosen to target oil tankers, we cannot forget other serious maritime crimes.
Illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing—otherwise known as IUU fishing—is when vessel operators violate national or international laws, regulations or management schemes designed to ensure the sustainability of fish stock.
Most of these cases were found in areas like Oceania or Alaska, in and around the Aleutians. WE certainly have a direct interest in IUU fishing.
Not only does this put strain on fish stocks, but it also undermines hardworking fishers who abide by the law, including many who live in my district.
The Coast Guard’s role in addressing and preventing IUU fishing not only protects U.S. interests; it assists partner and ally nations.
In Fiscal Years 2023 and 2024, the Coast Guard set its interdiction goal at 40 percent of the detected fishing vessels conducting IUU fishing within the U.S. exclusive economic zone, or “EEZ.”
Each of those years, the service interdicted 21 percent of the detected vessels, with the majority of detections and interdictions occurring in the Gulf of Mexico.
Over this same period, the Coast Guard boarded and inspected 274 fishing vessels on the high seas or within the EEZ of a foreign nation, resulting in 75 IUU fishing violations. With more resources, I’m hopeful that we can improve on those numbers.
Today, we are going to hear some good news stories about Coast Guard enforcement activities. As we discuss those successes, I want to hear, as well, how the Coast Guard is ensuring that other core missions, like search and rescue, are not neglected.
In closing, I would be remiss if I did not talk about the sacrifice that comes with military service.
Each servicemember has dedicated his or her life to protecting the country and recent operations demonstrate the risk associated with that.
I look forward to hearing from our witnesses today on ways to improve the lives of Coasties serving at sea who are conducting these law enforcement missions and how we can continue to support and improve the Service.
Ranking Member Carbajal:
Good afternoon, and thank you, Chairmen McDowell and Ezell, for calling today’s hearing.
The U.S. Coast Guard is the nation’s premier, multi-mission law enforcement agency. As the only uniformed service to conduct both Homeland Security and Defense missions the importance of the Coast Guard cannot be understated.
One of the reasons why the Coast Guard is so successful is their unique status as both a branch of the military and as a law enforcement agency. When the Coast Guard conducts counter-drug missions, they not only successfully stop, board, and search vessels suspected of trafficking illegal narcotics, but they also detain individuals who often provide critical intelligence on the drug trafficking organizations that put them on that vessel in the first place.
This critical piece of the puzzle is only made possible by the precise and professional actions of our Coast Guard boarding teams. Upholding American Constitutional values and the international rule of law is exactly why the Coast Guard is so successful.
Another unique aspect about the Coast Guard is its ability to enter into bilateral and multilateral agreements with other countries to help bolster law enforcement efforts for both the US and its partners. This real-time engagement with other countries not only helps preserve rules-based order in the maritime domain, but it also helps the US engage in strategic soft power diplomacy across the world.
While the Coast Guard continues to put up record-breaking numbers of drugs seized and migrants rescued at sea, the numbers behind its budget have not increased at an equal rate.
There’s no doubt that we’ve seen an increased demand for Coast Guard law enforcement efforts, but we cannot forget the personnel who make these missions possible.
I am very concerned that the DHS appropriations bill will not appropriately fund the Coast Guard operations and support account—Coast Guard assets don’t run themselves.
As GAO has noted, insufficient asset readiness coupled with workforce shortages hinder the Coast Guard’s impact. We must address this issue.
The Coast Guard’s international collaboration is imperative. The Coast Guard is also a party to bilateral and multilateral agreements and conventions to protect natural resources and fish stocks from exploitation around the globe. Further, the Coast Guard works hand in hand with NOAA to protect and enforce our domestic fisheries, which is a multi-billion-dollar industry. This mission cannot be overlooked.
Finally, while I have serious concerns about the Administration’s actions in Venezuela, I am encouraged by the Coast Guard’s actions to enforce the law at sea.
The Coast Guard’s recent detention and seizure of dark fleet vessels operating outside of international laws highlights the risks inherent in a “flag of convenience” system.
American flagged vessels are owned by Americans, crewed by American mariners and follow American laws. We should be doing everything we can to encourage other countries to follow suit.
I look forward to today’s hearing, and the opportunity to celebrate the accomplishments of the Coast Guard. I am proud to champion the service and the dedicated Coasties who prove day in and day out that the Coast Guard is truly a global force for good.
With that, I yield back.
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