Congress pushes Coast Guard overhaul to boost drug and migrant interdiction

Efforts to overhaul the Coast Guard are gaining traction on Capitol Hill — coinciding with the Trump administration’s endeavor to revamp the service to address illegal migrant crossings and drug seizures. 

Multiple initiatives to update the Coast Guard are underway in both chambers of Congress, and within the Department of Homeland Security (DHS). All seek to elevate the service so it’s on par with the other branches of the military that fall under the Department of Defense, and better equip it to tackle drug and immigration interdiction missions. 

House legislation authorizing funding for the service through 2029 recently cleared a committee vote and aims to empower the service to conduct these missions, according to Rep. Mike Ezell, R-Miss., a co-sponsor of the Coast Guard Authorization Act of 2025. 

“The Coast Guard is very similar to law enforcement,” Ezell told Fox News Digital July 16. “It’s going to fight the narcotics epidemic that we have coming into the country. Our Coast Guard officers and men and women are going to really be able to go after that.”

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Such missions are only increasing for the Coast Guard. DHS announced July 15 that the service had seized a total of 242,244 pounds of cocaine since President Donald Trump took office in January. That amounts to a more than 100% increase in seizures in comparison to the same timeframe in 2024 during the Biden administration, according to DHS. 

Ezell, along with Reps. Sam Graves, R-Mo., Rick Larsen, D-Wash., and Salud Carbajal, D-Calif., introduced the Coast Guard Authorization Act July 2, and the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee passed the measure July 15, paving the way for the measure to head to the House floor. 

One of the most significant provisions in the legislation would establish a civilian secretary of the Coast Guard to align more similarly with the other branches of the military that fall under the Department of Defense. The Coast Guard falls under the jurisdiction of DHS and does not have a top civilian leading the service. 

Installing a secretary of the service will “streamline some of this red tape that we’ve seen over the years that’s slowed progress down” because he or she will report directly to the White House and Congress — eliminating multiple layers of bureaucracy, according to Ezell. 

“This person is going to be instrumental in getting things done,” Ezell said. 

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“Coming from my background as a sheriff and the chief of police, I know the importance of coordinating with other agencies to get the job done,” Ezell said. “When you have one person that’s a point of contact who will put all the information out from the president, from the DHS Secretary, it’ll be so much simpler.” 

Prior to being elected to the House, Ezell served as a law enforcement officer for over 40 years, including serving as sheriff of Jackson County, Mississippi. 

Republican Sens. Rick Scott of Florida and Shelley Moore Capito of West Virginia introduced legislation in the Senate in April that would similarly establish a secretary for the Coast Guard. 

“The establishment of a Secretary of the Coast Guard is an important step in ensuring our nation’s maritime security is led with the strength and efficiency it deserves to ensure it can fulfill its mission and adapt to any challenges,” Scott said in an April statement. 

“It’s critical to have a dedicated Secretary for the U.S. Coast Guard working closely with President Trump, our military leaders, and the Department of Homeland Security for a coordinated, successful effort to keep the nation safe,” Scott said. 

The efforts on Capitol Hill also align with initiatives underway at the Department of Homeland Security to reform the service. In April, the Coast Guard unveiled its new Force Design 2028 plan to revamp the service’s organizational structure, personnel, acquisitions, contracting and technology, in keeping with directives from Trump and Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem.

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The proposal aims to beef up the Coast Guard’s force, which currently consists of roughly 43,000 active-duty personnel, and determine which specialties need reinforcement to expand training. The blueprint also calls for a series of changes to better align the Coast Guard with the Department of Defense’s standards for physical fitness, body composition and grooming.

The Coast Guard, unlike other military services, does not enforce fitness standards unless personnel are attached to boat crews of law enforcement teams. 

The initiative comes in response to the Trump administration’s efforts to tackle illegal immigration and drug smuggling, a DHS official familiar with the plan told Fox News Digital in April. 

“We’ve been making changes practically daily in the service to really keep moving forward,” the official told Fox News Digital in April. “The goal of 2028 is that the transformation of the service will be complete by 2028.”