Since the terrible events of September 11th, 2001, we have relied heavily on the brave men and women of the U.S. Coast Guard to be our eyes and ears against terrorism along our coastal borders and at more than 300 of our nation’s ports.

The Coast Guard’s homeland security mission isn’t new; it began more than 200 years ago when the service was founded. Yet today, as we are more focused on the need to provide maritime security, the Coast Guard has ramped up its efforts to ensure that we don’t allow the tools or people into this country who intend to do us harm.

We have improved our ability to deal with potential terrorist threats, but we must keep up the progress.

America’s security is paramount, and our goals must always be to counteract threats to our citizens, address the danger posed by terrorists, and eliminate the potential for the introduction of weapons of mass destruction.

My congressional district is home to the Port of Stockton, one of the largest inland ports in the nation. While it is an economic engine for California’s Central Valley — moving everything from agricultural products to wind turbines — it may be viewed as a potential entry point for those who intend to do us harm. Thankfully, the Coast Guard understands the risk and provides the constant security that ensures continued business and peace of mind.

I believe that it’s important to highlight the dual responsibilities of the Coast Guard, and we should ensure that the Coast Guard’s homeland security missions are not lessened by the licensing and regulatory functions of the guard.

My amendment is both simple and needed; it outlines formally that none of the changes to the Marine Safety Mission of the Coast Guard shall impair the Homeland Security mission of the Coast Guard. It is important to note that we are not creating new authorizations. We are simply outlining formally the continued importance of protecting our waterways and ports, maintaining coastal security, and securing our borders against aliens seeking to unlawfully enter the United States.

Americans deserve to know that our ports and waterways are protected, and this amendment does just that, by clarifying that the Coast Guard’s homeland security missions are strengthened by the Coast Guard Authorization Act of 2007.

This entry was posted on Friday, April 25th, 2008 at 3:12 pm and is filed under Politics, Homeland Security .