HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

H.C.R. NO.

200

TWENTY-NINTH LEGISLATURE, 2017

 

STATE OF HAWAII

 

 

 

 

 

HOUSE CONCURRENT

RESOLUTION

 

 

URGING PRESIDENT donald j. trump TO RESTORE his ADMINISTRATION'S PROPOSED $1,300,000,000 CUT TO THE UNITED STATES COAST GUARD'S BUdGET.

 

 


     WHEREAS, the United States Coast Guard plays a vital role in the security of the State of Hawaii and nation including port security, anti-terrorism force protection, maritime and infrastructure protection, and law enforcement; and

 

     WHEREAS, over 1,150 active duty, 150 reserve, 80 civilian, and 400 auxiliary personnel compose the Honolulu-based United States Coast Guard District Fourteen, which covers more than 12,200,000 square miles of land and sea, the largest territory of all Coast Guard districts; and

 

     WHEREAS, the priority policies of the administration of President Donald J. Trump include enhancing border security, preventing illegal immigration, fighting terrorism, enforcing the law, and investing in the nation’s military; and

 

     WHEREAS, contrary to these stated policy objectives, the Trump administration is proposing to cut $1,300,000,000 from the Coast Guard’s $9,100,000,000 budget, resulting in an 11.8 percent decrease of military funding for a Coast Guard that enhances border security, prevents illegal immigration, fights terrorism, and enforces the law; and

 

     WHEREAS, the steady decline in the Coast Guard’s budget since 2010 has generally constrained Coast Guard operations, negatively impacted Coast Guard missions and infrastructure, and delayed necessary recapitalization efforts; and

 

     WHEREAS, recapitalization plans for nine new cutters to replace aging cutters from the 1960s are underway with one recently allocated to Hawaii and another to follow in the near future; and

 

     WHEREAS, Secretary of Homeland Security John Kelly in his previous capacity as Commanding Officer of United States Southern Command testified before the United States Congress in support of recapitalization of the Coast Guard's deteriorating cutter fleet; and

 

     WHEREAS, the recapitalization plan is not feasible with the proposed budget cuts; and

 

     WHEREAS, Secretary John Kelly further testified that the most effective non-violent means to interdict drugs is through our maritime borders; and

 

     WHEREAS, the Coast Guard prevented a record breaking 416,000 pounds of illegal drugs, worth nearly $5,600,000,000 from entering the United States in 2016; now, therefore,

 

     BE IT RESOLVED by the House of Representatives of the Twenty-ninth Legislature of the State of Hawaii, Regular Session of 2017, the Senate concurring, that President Donald J. Trump is urged to restore his administration's proposed $1,300,000,000 cut to the United States Coast Guard's budget; and

 

     BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that certified copies of this Concurrent Resolution be transmitted to President Donald J. Trump and the Director of the Office of Management and Budget.

 

 

 

 

OFFERED BY:

_____________________________

 

 

Report Title:

U.S. Coast Guard; Budget Cut and Restoration