The Fleet We Funded: Assessing Coast Guard Force Laydown on the Heels of Historic Investment

Video Description

WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senator Dan Sullivan (R-Alaska), Chairman of the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation’s Subcommittee on Coast Guard, Maritime, and Fisheries, will convene a hearing titled “The Fleet We Funded: Assessing Coast Guard Force Laydown on the Heels of Historic Investment” on Thursday, January 29, 2026, at 10:00 a.m. EST. This hearing will examine how the record $25 billion investment from the Working Families Tax Cut Act and the Coast Guard Authorization Act of 2025 is supporting emerging operational demands, including global deployments and increased availability of vessels and aircraft to counter narcotraffickers. The hearing will also address how the Coast Guard sustains its global presence in key regions—including the Arctic, Indo-Pacific, Western Hemisphere, and Middle East—while managing operational risk. These challenges were evident during recent Venezuela-linked tanker seizure operations, which required specialized boarding teams and imposed significant downstream demands once vessels were seized. Witness: Admiral Kevin Lunday, Commandant, United States Coast Guard