The budget the US House passed last week calls for deep spending cuts that could impact the Coast Guard, just as the White House and Congresswoman Uifa’atali Amata call for a greater Pacific presence. KHJ News Washington DC correspondent Matt Kaye reports…
President Trump recently signed an Executive Order to surge Coast Guard vessels to protect US maritime borders, including American Samoa’s.
And Congresswoman Amata continues her ‘drumbeat’ for a permanent stationing of one or more Coast Guard cutters in Pago Pago Harbor.
But while the two efforts seem to be on the same page, the president’s bigger goal is to downsize the federal government and dramatically cut spending to pay for extending his 2017 tax cuts.
And House Republicans are obliging in their just-passed 10-year budget plan, the Senate must still consider. House Transportation Chair Sam Graves…
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(Transc.) Graves: “This budget still requires the Transportation and Infrastructure Committee too generate at least 10 (B) billion in savings overall. Committee Republicans have been hard at work to make sure we are prepared to support the Coast Guard, while also being good stewards of taxpayers’ dollars while responsibly offsetting our investments.”
Graves argues the Coast Guard needs more money, not less…
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(Transc.) Graves: “The Coast Guard has been underfunded for years. However, this administration recognizes that the Coast Guard is the workhorse when it comes to securing our maritime border.”
Graves credits the president for his focus on providing more help for the services.
Still, the House Budget directs committees to come up with a whopping $1.5 trillion or more in overall savings. And Graves, pointing out the need to balance cuts with worthy functions like the Coast Guard, shows just how tough a budget task lies ahead.
