WASHINGTON, DC – U.S. Senator Gary Peters called on the Trump Administration to prioritize funding for U.S. Coast Guard recruitment and retention. In a letter to Office of Management and Budget Director Russell Vought, U.S. Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem, and U.S. Coast Guard Acting Commandant Admiral Kevin Lunday, Peters and a group of his colleagues outlined how critical Coast Guard operations have been disrupted as a result of personnel shortages and underscored that further investment is needed to support ongoing recruitment and retention efforts for the Great Lakes region to address these shortages.

“The Coast Guard plays a critical role in the safety and security of vessels on the Great Lakes. Historically, numerous small boat stations and aids to navigation teams across the Great Lakes have been staffed to full capacity during heightened boating seasons to respond directly to search and rescue and law enforcement missions,” wrote the lawmakers. “The Coast Guard should seek to return to such a posture by requesting Congress provide prioritized and dedicated recruiting and retention funding that would support additional recruiting personnel and offices to improve recruiter-to-recruit ratios and expand the Service’s recruiting footprint…. Enhanced funding is also urgently needed to enable the Coast Guard to accelerate exigent efforts to efficiently hire new talent and strengthen its workforce to fill current operational gaps emerging this year.”

The Coast Guard is facing a shortfall of 3,000 personnel, which has already disrupted critical operations like search and rescue. In 2024, staffing shortages forced widespread operational cutbacks, including in 29 Great Lakes units. While recruitment efforts showed progress in 2024, the lawmakers expressed how further investment is key to sustaining and supporting growing recruitment and retention efforts for the Coast Guard, especially on the Great Lakes ahead of the busy summer season.