House Subcommittee

Congressional Appropriations Underway

Congress has begun the FY 00 appropriations process as both House and Senate committees made their 302(b) allocations and began to consider individual appropriations bills at the subcommittee and committee level. The 302(b) allocations are the method by which the appropriations committees divide te funds approved in the budget resolution among the 13 appropriations subcommittees. These allocations become the "pot" from which each subcommittee must dispense monies to various programs within their jurisdiction. The Energy and Water Development Subcommittee, which appropriates money for USACE programs, received $21.1 billion in appropriations in FY 99. This year, the Senate subcommittee received $21.3 billion and the House, only $19.4 billion. The amounts are different because the full House and Senate appropriations committees decided to divide the funding differently. The Senate Appropriations Committee voted out its Energy and Water Development bill in May. Even though the overall allocation was slightly above FY 99 levels, appropriations for the USACE was only $3.76 billion - nearly $350 million below the amount appropriated in FY 99. The Energy and Water Development bill is expected to be one of the first appropriations bills considered by Senate. Markup by the House subcommittee was expected sometime in June, but with an allocation almost $2 billion below the Senate subcommittee, USACE funding is unlikely to fare any better in the House.

Coast Guard Asked to Address Racial Intolerance

Following the discovery of two nooses placed among the personal effects of a student and officer at the United States Coast Guard Academy, Congressman Elijah E. Cummings (D-Md.), Chairman of the House Subcommittee on Coast Guard and Maritime Transportation, called upon Coast Guard Commandant Admiral Thad Allen to address the full Academy and thoroughly investigate the incidents. The Academy announced that it will be expanding training on race relations following the discovery of the

Coast Guard Defends New Cutter

According to reports, lawmakers expressed outrage over reports of design flaws in the Coast Guard's new flagship patrol boat and urged Commandant Adm. Thad Allen to strengthen oversight of the much-criticized $24b shipbuilding program. Reacting to the latest critical government review, the House Subcommittee on Coast Guard and Maritime Transportation raised concerns that taxpayer money was being wasted and the Coast Guard had ceded control of the Deepwater program to private contractors

Cummings, Allen Address Coast Guard Academy

Congressman Elijah E. Cummings (D-Md.), Chairman of the House Subcommittee on Coast Guard and Maritime Transportation, was joined by United States Coast Guard Commandant Admiral Thad Allen in addressing the student body, faculty, and staff of the Coast Guard Academy in response to the placement of nooses in the bag of a student and the office of an officer conducting diversity training (copy of speech attached). “These cadets are a group of extraordinary young men and women who represent

Cummings Holds Port Hearings in CA

Congressman Elijah E. Cummings (D-Md.), Chairman of the House Subcommittee on Coast Guard and Maritime Transportation, released the following statement at the adjournment of a Subcommittee hearing he convened to examine the efforts of the ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach to meet infrastructure needs and reduce emissions from port-related activities—including from trucks that provide services at the ports, as well as vessels in transit to and from the ports:

AWO's Allegretti to Push AMP Agenda at House Hearing

AMP to Testify on Administration’s Failure to Comply With Federal Law During 2011 SPR Draw Down; Will Stress How to Avoid a Repeat During Future Draw Downs.     Thomas Allegretti will testify on behalf of the American Maritime Partnership regarding the Administration’s failure to comply with federal law during the summer 2011 draw down of the Strategic Petroleum Oil Reserve (SPR) before House Subcommittee on Coast Guard and Maritime Transportation

Responding to Catastrophic Events

The Subcommittee on Emergency Preparedness, Science, and Technology of the House Committee on Homeland Security and the Subcommittee on Terrorism, Unconventional Threats and Capabilities of the House Committee on Armed Services conducted a joint hearing on Responding to Catastrophic Events: The Role of the Military and National Guard in Disaster Response . Among the witnesses was Admiral Thomas H. Collins , Commandant, U.S

AAPA Urges Greater Support for Security

Significantly more federal funding assistance is urgently needed for U.S. port security, testified port industry witness Noel Cunningham today at a hearing of the House Subcommittee on Coast Guard and Maritime Transportation. Representing the American Association of Port Authorities (AAPA) and the Ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach, Cunningham is Director of Operations and Emergency Management of the Port of Los Angeles, the largest container port in the U.S

Cummings Statement, Maersk Alabama

April 8, Congressman Elijah E. Cummings (D-Md.), Chairman of the House Subcommittee on Coast Guard and Maritime Transportation, released the following statement in response to the seizure this morning of the U.S.-flagged container ship, Maersk Alabama, which was carrying relief cargo to Kenya for the United Nations; 21 Americans on board the ship are currently being held hostage: “My deepest thoughts and prayers go out to the crew of the Maersk Alabama, as well as their families

Cummings Congratulates RADM Stosz On Promotion

Congressman Elijah E. Cummings (MD-7) offered his congratulations this week to United States Coast Guard Rear Admiral (lower half) Sandy Stosz, on the occasion of her promotion to that rank. Stosz, who is from Ellicott City, in the Seventh District, is the first female graduate of the U.S. Coast Guard Academy to be selected for promotion to flag rank. As the Chairman of the House Subcommittee on the Coast Guard and Maritime Transportation