WASHINGTON — The Coast Guard is turning 228 years old today, and Congress is surprising them with a $2.28 billion budget cut in fiscal year 2019. As a result, the Coast Guard will be unveiling a new 'maritime Darwinism' policy to reduce its operational workload.
"I really was hoping for a new heavy icebreaker in 2019," said Adm. Karl Schultz, who assumed his role as Commandant in June 2018. "But a 25% cut to our operations and mission support budget is more than I could have ever hoped for."
Schultz went on to comment that one of his main goals as Commandant is to deploy his strategic priority of reducing search and rescue cases by allowing stupid people to perish at sea.