ROA has submitted its statement on the Fiscal Year 2027 budget request for the United States Coast Guard and other components of the Department of Homeland Security to the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Homeland Security, in connection with the Subcommittee’s recent hearing.
“The Coast Guard is operating amid rising mission demands while contending with recurring lapses in appropriations that directly undermine readiness, morale, and mission execution. ROA thanks Chairman Amodei, Ranking Member Cuellar, and the Subcommittee’s Members and staff for holding this hearing and considering our priorities. Force Design 2028 provides a clear path forward, but its success depends on stable, on-time appropriations and a Coast Guard Reserve resourced to grow responsibly,” said ROA CEO Maj. Gen. John B. Hashem, U.S. Army (Ret.).
Leading priorities in ROA’s statement include:
- End the DHS funding lapse and, if necessary, fund the Coast Guard separately to ensure stable, on-time appropriations.
- Fully fund the Coast Guard’s $15.6 billion FY 2027 budget request to enable Force Design 2028, including the Offshore Patrol Cutter, Arctic Security Cutter, Waterways Commerce Cutter, and HC-130J transition.
- Ensure Coast Guard Reserve appropriations support responsible growth to 8,500 Selected Reserve billets, with proportional increases in recruiting, training, and retention funding.
- Exercise strong congressional oversight of the DHS–HHS agreement governing the Public Health Service Ready Reserve Corps.
- Protect pay, benefits, and quality of service across the Total Force — including codification of S. 3168, the Shutdown Fairness Act, and designation of scheduled Reserve training and PME as excepted activities during a funding lapse.
ROA will request meetings with the Members and staff of the House and Senate Appropriations Committees in the weeks ahead, as part of its broader FY 2027 appropriations and NDAA outreach. The full statement is available here.