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, “Always Ready: A Day in the Life of a U.S. Coast Guard Sentinel.”
Videos 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 Webster, for calling today’s hearing.
Earlier this afternoon, we had an opportunity to sit down with enlisted members of the Coast Guard to hear their thoughts, their concerns, their adventures, their violations of Coast Guard policy to get things done. I say that with some jest because what we heard is that sometimes to do their job, they have to go outside policy to save lives and saving lives is what the Coast Guard does.
Hearing directly from enlisted personnel is incredibly helpful as this Committee conducts oversight and crafts policy affecting the Service. I would like to thank the Coast Guard for making those Coasties available and take a moment to recognize and celebrate the incredible work of our Coast Guard enlisted personnel.
Over the course of this Congress, I’ve also taken the opportunity to visit Coasties across the country in places like New London, Pensacola, Maui, Baltimore, Bellingham, Grand Haven and Chicago. It has been an invaluable experience, and I encourage my colleagues to see as much of the Coast Guard as possible.
These women and men are unsung heroes responsible for safeguarding our coasts and our people.
They risk their lives conducting search and rescue operations, intercepting drug traffickers and ensuring the safety of our coastal communities. Their dedication and bravery exemplify the highest ideals of service.
Thank you to all the servicemembers that joined us today and to all Coasties for your service.
In Washington State alone, there are over 2,300 enlisted Coast Guard personnel. These dedicated individuals play a crucial role in responding to emergencies, enforcing laws and protecting natural resources in the region.
From the very busy ports in Seattle and Tacoma and Everett, and probably Portland, too, to the rugged shores of the San Juan Islands, their presence ensures that our maritime environment remains safe and secure.
As Coast Guard members serve our country with distinction, it is our responsibility to ensure they have the resources they need, including affordable housing, essential health services, childcare and up-to-date cutters, aircraft and technology.
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.
While the Coast Guard does offer healthcare benefits, the accessibility and quality of care is inconsistent. Too many personnel face long wait times for appointments and limited access to specialized care.
Coast Guard members deserve, not only a robust healthcare system, but also access to mental health services that meet their needs promptly and effectively.
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 saving the lives of our Coasties.
Many enlisted personnel are also parents who juggle demanding work schedules with family responsibilities.
Servicemembers often have difficulty finding affordable and reliable childcare which has a direct impact on 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 like Kodiak, Alaska, the Coast Guard has struggled with staffing.
This limits the number of dependents who can enroll and forces members to look elsewhere for childcare—something very difficult to find in more remote areas.
While we take pride in the remarkable contributions of our Coast Guard enlisted personnel, we must also provide them with the tools and resources required to do their job.
The Coast Guard is too slow to adopt new technology. In the wake of a personnel shortage of nearly 10 percent, the service must take advantage of all available technology to effectively conduct missions and prevent burnout.
Increased adoption of remote sensors, autonomous systems and artificial intelligence tools could help to relieve pressure on a strained workforce. Unfortunately, those technologies require funding which has not been provided in recent years.
We have a responsibility to ensure that those who dedicate their lives to protecting us receive the resources and support they need to thrive both on duty and off duty.
I take every opportunity I get to see Coast Guard stations around the country, and I have seen firsthand the challenges our Coasties are facing.
Meeting with enlisted members this afternoon was extremely helpful, much more exciting than having a hearing, honestly, and I encourage all of my colleagues to visit the Coast Guard and get out on the water, get up in the air with them, as I did in Pensacola, to truly see the value that they provide to our country.
Thank you, and I yield back.
Ranking Member Carbajal:
Good afternoon, and thank you, Chair Webster, for calling today’s hearing. The testimonies we are receiving today are paramount to the success of the Coast Guard and the future of the enlisted workforce.
Over the past three years, I’ve had the opportunity to visit Coast Guard stations across the country. I’ve been on icebreakers, National Security Cutters, Fast Response Cutters, various aircraft and small vessels.
Each visit has left me with a sense of deep appreciation for what Coasties do for our country every single day. I am sure that anyone who has a chance to interact with members of the Coast Guard feels the same.
As Ranking Member of this Subcommittee, I take my role of Coast Guard promoter very seriously. I recognize the Coast Guard is the premier agency tasked with protecting the American people and safeguarding our national security interests along our shores and beyond.
I understand the tremendous value that the service provides to the community when Coasties fulfill the diverse missions across the United States and the globe.
The service is only successful, though, because of its servicemembers. They are there when a boater or swimmer gets into trouble. They prevent drugs being smuggled across the sea from harming our communities. They intercept migrants who are trafficked across our maritime border when their lives are placed at risk by transnational criminal organizations.
They protect our precious ecosystem from harm by preventing oil from spilling into our waters and jeopardizing coastal economies. They demand excellence in maintaining sustainable fisheries when those fisheries are threatened by illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing operations. And they uphold the flow of American goods and commerce.
The Coast Guard is always ready and always there—Coasties are Semper Paratus.
But as the service is always there and always ready to serve the American People, so too must Congress be there for the Coast Guard. I am working to ensure the Coast Guard receives the funding and support it needs to execute each of its vital missions. This means not only providing the resources for new classes of cutters, assets and facilities, but also investing in people, the very fabric of the service.
As a veteran myself, I have always been proud to represent our servicemembers in Congress. As a long-time resident and representative of the Central Coast of California, I know first-hand the challenges that our Coasties and their families face.
Many Coasties are forced to live hours from their duty stations because there is insufficient housing. They often travel unacceptable distances to visit doctors. Coasties have limited access to childcare, which often results in couples alternating parenting duties based on their work schedules or being forced to quit work altogether.
These challenges weigh on the mental and physical welfare of Coasties. We must do better.
Despite these challenges, the Coast Guard is always ready and always there. For that, I, and the American people, are forever grateful. However, I recognize that gratitude alone does not pay the bills.
I have major concerns about the funding needed to keep up with the backlog in infrastructure, the investments in new assets such as cutters and helicopters and everyday support services to the fleet. Recruitment, retention, and the success of every mission depend on it. This Subcommittee is hard at work to make sure that your needs are recognized.
To the Coasties who joined us here today and across the world, thank you all for your unconditional service to our nation. I am proud to advocate for America’s great Coast Guard and look forward to the testimony today to hear about how Congress can better support the service.
I yield back.
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