Coast Guard Snub by U.S. on Cutter Funds Seen as Mission Threat
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The Obama administration’s failure to budget $1.6 billion for two of the Coast Guard’s flagship vessels is drawing criticism from U.S. lawmakers who say the service’s missions will be threatened.
The Department of Homeland Security’s proposal for the fiscal year beginning Oct. 1 requests $683 million to fund only the sixth of eight planned National Security Cutters made by Huntington Ingalls Industries Inc. The agency, which oversees the Coast Guard, didn’t seek funding for the remaining two cutters for fiscal years 2014 to 2017.