WASHINGTON, D.C. –– Today, Rep. Carlos Gimenez (R-FL), chairman of the House Homeland Security Subcommittee on Transportation and Maritime Security, announced a hearing next Tuesday, May 7, to examine the U.S. Coast Guard’s (USCG) shipbuilding and acquisitions process, the state of efforts to modernize the service’s fleet, and ways in which the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) can facilitate faster turnaround times for USCG acquisitions programs:
 
“From ensuring safety at sea and combating drug smuggling in the Caribbean to countering aggressive maritime activity by the People’s Republic of China in the Western Pacific, the Coast Guard is critical to protecting the homeland––and must be equipped to address the growing threats of tomorrow,” Chairman Gimenez said. “Some of the Coast Guard’s most important acquisition programs, especially the Polar Security Cutter program, continue to face costly delays and challenges that, if not addressed, will hinder the service’s ability to accomplish its dynamic mission set. I look forward to examining the challenges facing the Coast Guard’s acquisition process and ways to revitalize America’s shipbuilding industry to protect not only taxpayer dollars, but freedom of navigation, our economic security, and U.S. sovereignty.”  
 
DETAILS:
 
What: A Subcommittee on Transportation and Maritime Security hearing entitled, “Building the Fleet: Assessing the Department of Homeland Security’s Role in the United States Coast Guard’s Acquisitions Process.”
 
When: Tuesday, May 7, 2024, at 10:00 AM ET
 
Where: 310 Cannon House Office Building
 
WITNESSES:
 
Panel I
 
Shelby Oakley
Director, Contracting and National Security Acquisitions, Government Accountability Office
 
Ron O’Rourke
Specialist in Naval Affairs, Congressional Research Service 
 
Eric Labs
Senior Analyst, Naval Weapons and Forces, Congressional Budget Office
 
Panel II
 
Vice Admiral Paul Thomas
Deputy Commandant for Mission Support, U.S. Coast Guard
 
Randolph “Tex” Alles
Under Secretary for Management, Department of Homeland Security
 
Witness testimony will be added here. The hearing will be livestreamed on YouTube. The hearing will be open to the public and press.
 

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