Support of Coast Guard is Vital

摘要

In recent years, Congress has taken important steps to improve the Coast Guard's ailing fleet of ships and planes and make our nation more secure. Since 2003, Congress has provided almost $1.9 billion for the service's Integrated Deepwater System, $192 million more than the White House requested. Those increases did not come easy. They were made as Congress struggled to find ways to fund the rising costs of federal programs such as the war in Iraq and heath care for our nation's senior citizens. Congress' support of the Coast Guard in these demanding times is indicative of the courage our nation needs to win the war on terror.