Thomas Barrett, U.S. Representative of Michigan's 7th Congressional District | https://barrett.house.gov/
Thomas Barrett, U.S. Representative of Michigan's 7th Congressional District | https://barrett.house.gov/
Today, the U.S. House of Representatives passed the Coast Guard Authorization Act of 2025 with support from Congressman Tom Barrett (MI-07). The bipartisan legislation aims to bolster the U.S. Coast Guard and its members. It seeks to protect investments made in the One Big Beautiful Bill, enhance America's shipbuilding capacity, ensure parity with other armed services, and secure coastal borders.
"Our Coast Guard must have the resources they need to protect our maritime borders, stop the flow of illegal drugs and migrants from pouring into our country, and conduct critical search and rescue missions," said Barrett. "This is especially important here in Michigan, where they protect thousands of miles of our coastline in and around the Great Lakes."
Barrett expressed pride in voting for the bill, emphasizing that it supports national security efforts by strengthening Coast Guard operations.
The act provides funding through Fiscal Year 2029 for operations and modernization efforts within the service. It addresses underfunding issues related to cutter fleets, aviation assets, shoreside facilities, and IT capabilities. The bill also aims to modernize acquisition processes and improve transparency and accountability while opening pathways for next-generation autonomous technologies.
House passage of this act follows a historic $24.6 billion investment in the Coast Guard as part of the One Big Beautiful Bill, which Barrett helped pass weeks earlier.
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