A group of House lawmakers from both sides of the aisle have asked their colleagues to shoot down a proposal that would cut more than $1 billion from the Coast Guard's annual budget.
Fifty-eight members of the House signed a letter that was sent to the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Homeland Security on Monday.
"It's nonsensical to pursue a policy of rebuilding the armed forces while proposing large reductions to the U.S. Coast Guard budget," the letter reads, per The Hill. "The U.S. Coast Guard has, for years, operated under the realities of severe budget limitations. Preserving and strengthening America's security interests and protecting American jobs demand a fully funded U.S. Coast Guard."
As part of a broad package of budget cuts that will help pay for a border wall between the United States and Mexico, President Donald Trump is looking at slashing $1.3 billion from the Coast Guard's budget. The budget-cut proposal, according to The Hill, is slated to be delivered to Congress on Thursday.
Monday's letter was written by Reps. Duncan Hunter, R-Calif., and John Garamendi, D-Calif., who lead the House Transportation Subcommittee on the Coast Guard and Maritime Transportation.
Hunter has been vocal about his opposition to the budget proposal, which was written by the Office of Management and Budget (OMB).
"OMB has always treated the Coast Guard like a little piggy bank that they can go after whenever they need money for anything else," Hunter told The Washington Post last week. "If the president is serious about getting after the cartels and getting after drug networks, this makes no sense."
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