Washington Report: Congress Set for Tug-of-War Over Coast Guard Jurisdiction

摘要

As Congress tweaks its oversight of homeland security funding and policy this session, the Coast Guard could be caught in a tug-of-war between competing House and Senate committees stubbornly clinging to their turf. The 109th Congress will boast two permanent committees dedicated to homeland security: the House Homeland Security Committee and the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee. The two panels command some jurisdiction over the Coast Guard but must share oversight with other longstanding panels and chairmen reluctant to yield their power. On the House side, an ugly battle has been brewing for months between Alaska Republican Don Young, chairman of the Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, and Christopher Cox, the California Republican who leads the Homeland Security Committee, formerly a temporary panel that attained permanent status in January.