On December 17, the Senate Passed the Fiscal Year 2026 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA), a 3100-page piece of legislation which includes a historic investment for the Coast Guard.
The Coast Guard Authorization Act of 2025, included in the NDAA, authorizes $15.5 billion for FY 2026 and $17.2 billion for FY 2027 to support and expand the U.S. Coast Guard. Combined with the $25 billion Coast Guard investment provided by the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, this year marks America’s largest investment in the Coast Guard to date.
Senator Sullivan, chairman of the Senate Commerce Coast Guard, Maritime and Fisheries Subcommittee, explains the importance of this investment for Alaska: “As America’s only state with Arctic territory and with more coastline than the entire Lower 48 combined, Alaska is critical to the Coast Guard’s missions in defense of our nation. The Coast Guard serves an indispensable role in our state, defending our waters and ensuring the safety of Alaskans, a fact we were all reminded of witnessing the numerous search-and-rescue missions conducted and lives saved in Western Alaska in the aftermath of Typhoon Halong. From bolstering oil spill and emergency response, to providing greater support and quality of life improvements for our Coast Guardsmen, this Coast Guard authorization builds upon the strong relationship between Alaska’s communities and our Alaska-based Coast Guard and will help our service members support their families and fulfill their many critical missions in the Last Frontier.”
A press release from Sullivan’s office details how the money will be spent:
A very worthwhile investment! Now if congress would work to shut down the trawl industry they could use some of their resources to help enforce that. What a disastrous fishery.