Navy League Lambastes Coast Guard Budget Plan

The Navy League of the United States sharply criticized President Trump’s plan to cut the cut the Coast Guard’s budget by 14 percent. “To force [the Coast Guard] to carry out the same 11 statutory missions — which are mandated by law — with such a sharp reduction in funds would be an enormous mistake,” said Navy League National President Skip Witunski in a May 10 statement. “This type of cut, which would drastically shrink the force as units are decommissioned, demonstrates an astonishing lack of gratitude and appreciation for the sacrifice borne by servicemen and women and their families,” Witunski said. The cuts specifically would undermine the Coast Guard’s efforts to curtail illegal trafficking of people and drugs into the U.S., he said.