Leading senators on the Homeland Security and
Commerce committees are calling for a
congressional review of the Coast Guard, saying
they are unhappy with the agency's failure to
move quickly to replace its aging fleet of ships
and aircraft.
Sen. Olympia Snowe, R-Maine, who heads the
Commerce Committee's subcommittee that oversees
the Coast Guard, asked the Governmental
Accountability Office on Monday to analyze the
Guard's budget and whether its revised
replacement plan is adequate.
The Coast Guard has said it plans to repair and
replace its deteriorating aircraft and vessels
over 20 to 25 years, stretching out its initial
20-year "Deepwater" program. The Guard is also
looking at reducing the number of cutters it
will buy.
In a letter to the GAO, Snowe and Sen. Maria
Cantwell, D-Wash., said the review should also
look at how well the Coast Guard is carrying out
its non-homeland security duties - which include
drug interdiction, search-and-rescues and
coastal patrols.
"If we take this tack, the service will continue
to be stretched far too thin," Snowe said. "We
cannot afford a weakened Coast Guard in a
post-Sept. 11 world."Sens. Susan Collins,
R-Maine, and Joe Lieberman, D-Conn., said the
country cannot afford to extend the Deepwater
program another five years.
The Coast Guard has seen a 25 percent
increase in responsibilities since the terrorist
attacks. |
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