Click here to watch Senator Blunt Rochester’s remarks and exchanges with Adm. Lunday.

Washington, DC – U.S. Senator Lisa Blunt Rochester (D-Del.), ranking member of the Senate Commerce, Science, and Transportation Committee’s Subcommittee on Coast Guard, Maritime, and Fisheries, today led her fellow Democrats at a hearing titled, “The Fleet We Funded: Assessing Coast Guard Force Laydown on the Heels of Historic Investment” with Admiral Kevin Lunday, Commandant of the U.S. Coast Guard. Senator Blunt Rochester’s questions focused on readiness, workforce development, recruitment, and investing in Coast Guard families.

Senator Blunt Rochester’s full remarks and exchanges with Adm. Lunday can be found here. Senator Blunt Rochester’s opening statement, as delivered, is below:

Thank you so much, Mr. Chairman. To you, Admiral Lunday, welcome back. To your team as well. Thank you for being here for today’s hearing. I want to first congratulate you in person and just say thank you so much for your responsiveness as this year has gone by. Whenever I’ve texted you or called, you responded so promptly and I want to thank you and your team for your responsiveness. I also want to say how proud we are of the Coast Guard in this country. As you know, I got the opportunity to be with some of the Coasties in Delaware and spend some very good quality time…Established in 1790 I think it was, you have stood the test of time, and we are pleased to see that today, we can talk about the future. 

Your leadership is especially important as we enter into a new era of modernizing the Coast Guard. The Coast Guard recently received the historic $25 billion investment. So, while you are poised to revolutionize your ability to counter emerging global threats and protect mariners, fishermen, and marine environments, this is a moment that is really going to present clear opportunities for you to show your leadership. Today, we will talk about that blueprint – Force Design 2028 – and the investments that were made. We will also talk about how…we guarantee success.

The question before us is whether the Coast Guard can convert all of that funding into something that is sustainable [and into] long term improvements that will correctly anticipate the growing maritime threats from global actors, as our chairman has shared, and from competitors as well, and keep us safe at the same time.

I think it’s also important to know that the reason this hearing is so vital is that Congress and the American people need to know how…we go from the blueprint to the plan to execution?

In your testimony I received last night you were already taking a lot of steps in that regard. What you do every day is connected to our safety, our economy, and our national security. Again, [after] reading through your testimony last night, I am really eager to especially focus on your plans to recruit and train and retain a workforce as you leverage this increase in assets…And again, this is not just about investing in vessels. It is also about investing in the people and I was pleased to see in your testimony that’s where you started, with workforce.

It also means ensuring that Coast Guard families have access to affordable housing, good health care, and quality child care because it’s our responsibility to take care of the Coast Guard at home so that you can serve our country with confidence at sea.

A large part of investing is investing in training and that is why I want to recognize the critical role of the Coast Guard’s training institutions. Whether it’s Woods Hole, Rhode Island or the Coast Guard boot camp in Illinois, or the training center in Cape May which is just across the bay from Delaware. These institutions remain foundational to Coast Guard personnel development. So, Admiral, again, thank you so much for the responsiveness, for your service and the service of all of the Coasties and their families, and I look forward to your testimony and discussing how your leadership will guide the Coast Guard through this critical period.

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Senator Lisa Blunt Rochester represents Delaware in the United States Senate where she serves on the Committees on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs; Commerce, Science, and Transportation; Environment and Public Works; and Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions.