The Trump administration is considering significant cuts to the United States Coast Guard and other agencies to pay for the proposed border wall and other immigration enforcement measures.
The president's budget office proposes slashing about $1.3 billion out of the Coast Guard's $9.1 billion budget, as well as 11 percent from the Federal Emergency Management Agency and the Transportation Security Administration.
Connecticut Congressman Joe Courtney, whose district includes the U.S. Coast Guard Academy in New London, said cuts are drastic, and the proposal is "self-defeating."
"When you talk about homeland security, the Coast Guard is an integral part of America’s system of homeland security, so you’re going to damage a critical piece of protecting the homeland by implementing these massive cuts," he said.
Courtney, who is a member of the House Armed Services Committee, said Republican members of the committee are opposed to the president's plan.
Rep. Duncan D. Hunter, a Republican from California, told The Washington Post the proposal "makes no sense."
Listen to Courtney below:
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