Coast Guard Works to Head Off Funding Cuts

[Rose Siding]

WASHINGTON -- Struggling to fend off budget cuts, the Coast Guard laid out plans Tuesday to spend up to $24 billion to modernize its vessels and aircraft over the next 20 to 25 years.

Members of a Senate subcommittee said they were concerned that even President Bush's proposed funding level of $966 million for 2006 wouldn't meet the Coast Guard's needs to replace and repair its deteriorating fleet and meet the security requirements of the post-Sept. 11 world.

Coast Guard officials gave presentations to three congressional subcommittees, including House appropriators who voted last month to slash the 2006 funding nearly in half _ to $500 million. Members of the House Homeland Security subcommittee complained that they had not received adequate information from the Coast Guard about its modernization plan, commonly called Deepwater.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/06/21/AR2005062100973.html

[Megahurtz]

1. Funding cuts EVERYWHERE!

Sheesh. We're doomed.

[havocmom]

2. Lots of money for Homeland Security so long as it goes to vague, easy

to embezzle from, hazy expenses. When it comes to paying for boots on the ground (or on the water, fending off smugglers and who know what else) and the equipment people actually use daily, there is no money.

We can't afford to hire the bodies to inspect all the cargo containers coming into US ports either. But Halliburton is not having any trouble keeping government checks coming in.

Hmmmm, sorta odd.

[Coastie for Truth]

3. Stephen Flynn "America The Vulnerable"

Stephen Flynn's "America The Vulnerable" lays out the risks - his book is "for real" and actually understates the problem.

Container ships and container ports.
Liquid Natural Gas tankers.
Hazardous cargo and petroleum barges on our inland waters.
Chemical plants and petroleum refineries in our ports and on our waterways.

-And Bushco will not seek legislation to enforce security requirements for these haz mat facilities.

Repugs - don't blame the Dems this one.

When "it" happens--
I TOLD YOU SO

[leesa]

4. And Bush is the anti-terrorism Prez??? How do the lugheads at Freep City

rationalize this? No National Guard anymore, no military, and no Coast Guard. I feel safe, don't you?

[AlCzervik]

5. well obviously the Coast guard is full of liberals

it's the military equivalent of PBS you know.
:sarcasm: