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 Subcommittee hearing titled “Always Ready: A Day in the Life of a United States Coast Guard Member.”
Video of Ranking Members 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, Chairman Ezell and Ranking Member Carbajal, for holding today’s hearing.
Before we get started, I want to take moment to honor Lieutenant Connor Overstreet who recently lost his life to a senseless act of gun violence in my state.
This loss hits close to home as he attended flight school with my son. Lieutenant Overstreet was a dedicated helicopter pilot who joined the service to help others. My condolences go out to his family and friends for their loss.
Joining us in the audience, we have enlisted members of the Coast Guard who have traveled from across the country to be here today. Before the hearing, Members of this subcommittee had the opportunity to hear directly from these servicemembers and get their unique perspectives on what it means to be a Coastie, and, let me tell you, they’re impressive individuals.
Each of you are vital to the Coast Guard’s success in securing our waters and saving lives. The country is in your debt.
Hearing directly from enlisted personnel is incredibly helpful as this Committee works to improve the Coast Guard and the lives of servicemembers.
There are over 30,000 enlisted Coast Guard personnel. These dedicated individuals play a crucial role in responding to emergencies, enforcing laws and protecting natural resources.
Coast Guard members serve our country with distinction, and it is our responsibility to ensure they have the resources they need.
This includes affordable housing, essential health services, accessible childcare centers and up-to-date cutters, aircraft and technology.
In fiscal year 2023, the Coast Guard faced a nearly 3,000 personnel shortfall but in recent years has nearly closed that gap.
It is not enough, however, to recruit new servicemembers, we need to retain them. Once joining the service, enlisted Coasties continue to face substandard housing options, working conditions, a lack of available healthcare and affordable childcare.
Due to the unique mission of the Service, Coast Guard stations are often in remote or high-cost coastal areas.
The stress of expensive housing takes a toll on servicemember well-being and overall readiness.
Limited Coast Guard owned housing and the Department of Defense’s Basic Allowance for Housing, which does not appropriately consider Coast Guard locations, forces personnel to find more affordable housing with longer commutes.
The availability of providers accepting TRICARE and the quality of care is inconsistent in many remote areas where the Coast Guard operates. Personnel face unacceptably long wait times for appointments and limited access to specialized care.
Not only does the Coast Guard face unique operating environments, Coasties also face unique health problems associated with service.
A recent New York Times article highlighted the high risk of traumatic brain injuries in boat crew and a history of inaction on the issue by Coast Guard leadership. This is unacceptable, and Coasties deserve better.
The link between traumatic brain injuries, mental health and suicide is clear.
According to the Coast Guard Foundation, in 2022, Coast Guard members died from suicide twice as often as their peers in other military services. Investing in mental health is not just a moral obligation, it is critical for maintaining operational readiness.
Recently, Ranking Member Carbajal and I sent a letter to the Coast Guard pushing an independent review of how to improve monitoring and preventing of traumatic brain injury in boat crews.
Many enlisted personnel are parents who juggle demanding work schedules with family responsibilities.
Servicemembers often have difficulty finding affordable and reliable childcare which directly impacts their ability to do their jobs.
While funding was provided in the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law to build four new Child Development Centers in remote areas, the Coast Guard has struggled with staffing.
This limits the number of children who can enroll and forces members to look elsewhere for childcare—something very difficult to find in remote areas.
In order to do their job, members of the Coast Guard need the right tools.
I am closely monitoring the Coast Guard’s procurement of new assets and systems through last year’s reconciliation funding. While the replacement of aging assets is long overdue, the Coast Guard simply doesn’t have the shoreside infrastructure required to support those assets.
In its adoption of new technology, the Coast Guard must prioritize servicemembers.
We have a responsibility to ensure that those who dedicate their lives to protecting Americans receive the resources and support they need to thrive both on and off duty.
I have seen firsthand the challenges our Coasties are facing, and I am glad we are taking the time to discuss it today.
Thank you, and I yield back.
Ranking Member Carbajal:
Good afternoon, Chair Ezell, and thank you for holding today’s hearing.
The Coast Guard asks a great deal of its people. Servicemembers are expected to answer the call at a moment’s notice, operate in some of the most challenging environments in the country, and carry out dangerous missions that protect American lives, our communities and our economic security.
Today, we have an opportunity to put the people behind those missions front and center.
Over the years, I have visited Coast Guard units across the country to see their work up close. Those visits have given me an even greater appreciation for the professionalism, skill and commitment that Coasties bring to the job every day.
The missions they perform are essential.
Coast Guard personnel conduct search and rescue, interdict illegal drugs, protect our marine environment, safeguard our fisheries, and help ensure that our maritime transportation system remains safe and secure. They do this while operating around the clock and often far from home.
That is an extraordinary responsibility, and it demands an extraordinary workforce.
As Ranking Member of this Subcommittee, I am proud to be an advocate for the Coast Guard. But being an advocate means more than recognizing the importance of the mission. It means making sure the people responsible for carrying out that mission have what they need to succeed.
That starts with the basics.
A servicemember should always be able to find a safe and affordable place to live.
I know that this is challenging given that 41 percent of Coast Guard units are located in some of the most remote and expensive areas of the United States.
I have seen this challenge firsthand in my own district on the Central Coast of California, where Coast Guard families have faced both the high cost of housing and unacceptable conditions in Coast Guard-provided housing.
I personally visited Coast Guard housing in Santa Barbara twice after learning about serious problems, including mold, persistent water issues, and deteriorating floors. In fact, one Coast Guard member fell through a shower floor because moisture and mold had caused the floor to deteriorate.
No servicemember should have to choose between paying more than they can afford to live near their duty station and living in housing that is unsafe or unhealthy.
And this is not simply a quality-of-life issue.
When Coast Guard members cannot afford to live near their units—or when the housing provided to them is not safe—it can directly affect readiness, morale and the Service's ability to retain the people it needs.
For the families stationed in these communities, the cost of serving can extend well beyond the demands of the job itself. Housing costs can make living near a duty station unrealistic.
Long commutes can take valuable time away from family.
Access to medical care can require significant travel. And, finding affordable childcare can be especially difficult for families whose schedules do not fit the traditional nine-to-five workday.
We need to recognize these challenges for what they are: readiness issues.
When a Coast Guard member is worried about whether their family can make rent, whether their child has access to daycare, or whether their family can see a doctor, that affects morale.
It affects quality of life and overtime. It can affect whether talented people choose to join the Service or whether experienced members decide to stay.
We cannot ask Coast Guard personnel to make extraordinary sacrifices while overlooking the everyday challenges facing their families.
That is why continued investment in the Coast Guard workforce is so important. New cutters, aircraft, facilities, and other capabilities are critical, but those investments only deliver results if we have trained and experienced people available to operate them.
Recruitment and retention are inseparable from the investments we make in our Coast Guard families.
Every Coast Guard mission starts and ends with people.
I look forward to hearing directly from our witnesses today about what Coast Guard personnel are experiencing, where the greatest challenges are, and what Congress can do to address them.
The men and women of the Coast Guard have demonstrated time and time again that they will be there when America needs them.
Our responsibility is to make sure America is there for them.
Thank you, Chair Ezell. I yield back.
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