Amata Welcomes House Passage of Coast Guard Reauthorization Legislation with Ports Assessment
Washington, D.C. – Congresswoman Uifa’atali Amata welcomes bipartisan passage in the U.S. House of Representatives last week of major legislation to strengthen, support, and authorize funding through the end of fiscal year 2029 for the United States Coast Guard and all its critical missions that safeguard the nation’s borders, facilitate maritime commerce, ensure maritime safety, prevent illegal drug trafficking, and reduce illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) fishing on the high seas.
“It’s important to complete a multi-year legislative authorization of the Coast Guard, putting in place the needed resources and planning. I especially welcome the widespread home ports assessment, so the Coast Guard does thorough analysis of where to home port cutters and make other important investment decisions,” said Congresswoman Amata. “I’ve been outspoken that home porting in American Samoa’s excellent harbor makes sense and would be a strong signal of U.S. commitment to a broad area of the vast Pacific Ocean.”
Approved strongly by a House vote of 399 to 12, the Coast Guard Authorization Act of 2025 (H.R. 4275) was introduced by Transportation and Infrastructure Committee Chairman Sam Graves (R-MO), with Ranking Member Rick Larsen (D-WA), Coast Guard and Maritime Transportation Subcommittee Chairman Mike Ezell (R-MS), and Subcommittee Ranking Member Salud Carbajal (D-CA).
The legislation, which will likely require negotiations with a Senate version of the bill, works with the $25 billion dollar investment passed in recent budget reconciliation legislation, and in tandem with the planning of Coast Guard Force Design 2028, to support Coast Guard operations and the important recapitalization of its cutter fleet, along with aviation assets, shoreside facilities, and IT capabilities.
The bill also modernizes the Coast Guard’s acquisition process, increases transparency and accountability in the Service’s recapitalization efforts, and opens a pathway to the adoption of next-generation autonomous technologies.
The bill would establish a Secretary of the Coast Guard, creating greater parity with the other armed services, and stronger statutory protections for members of the Coast Guard from sexual assault and harassment.
The legislation strengthens U.S.-Build requirements and improves accountability to better ensure a robust U.S. shipbuilding industry, boosts maritime safety laws, facilitates an increase in the pool of qualified U.S. merchant mariners through amended credentials, increases vessel safety, and improves regulatory processes.
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