Honoring the brave men and women of the United States Coast Guard whose tireless work, dedication, and commitment to protecting the United States have led to the Coast Guard seizing over 350,000 pounds of cocaine at sea during 2007, far surpassing all of our previous records.

Madam Speaker, I thank the distinguished former chairman from North Carolina who's been a leader in the anti-narcotics efforts in the Judiciary Committee and elsewhere and a tireless combatant against illegal drugs. I also want to thank Chairman Oberstar who clearly knows the importance of the Coast Guard in the Great Lakes, and Ranking Member John Mica who headed the Drug Subcommittee, who I succeeded as chairman of that subcommittee a number of years ago; Subcommittee Chairman Cummings, who was the ranking member of the Drug Subcommittee over the last 6 years; and my friend Steve LaTourette as well.

This resolution has a particular personal importance to me, too, beyond the larger question. The big bust of 42,845 pounds of cocaine was primarily done by the Coast Guard Cutter Sherman. Captain Charlie Diaz served as a detailee to our subcommittee for a number of years, and then was detailed to the Speaker's office, and I want to congratulate Charlie in particular and his crew on the Sherman.

It would be nice to claim that we taught him how to do this, but in fact, we're just really glad that while he was here on the Hill learning how we work that he didn't lose the skills necessary to track down the huge loads of cocaine and other things the Coast Guard does.

It's also important that in this big bust where they got the freighter Gatun and 14 people just off the coast of Panama, it's critical to have the intelligence. We, earlier, heard about the joint agency effort, particularly JATF, the Joint Agency Task Force, based out of south Florida that is run by the Coast Guard and provides such valuable intelligence. You're just not going to pick up a boat and find 42,000 pounds of cocaine, nearly 20 tons of cocaine. You have to have decent intelligence because when you look at the Bahamas and all those boats out there, we have to have these kind of coordinated efforts, and JATF is a key part of it, and drug intelligence is a key part of it.

I want to thank Commandant Allen, Admiral Allen, in particular, for understanding that narcotics are part of the terrorism effort. There's tremendous pressure on the Coast Guard, and in the Great Lakes and Alaska and many places, its fisheries, search and rescue is still the day-to-day what they do. They have all sorts of migrant interventions way out even coming in towards Hawaii, coming off of Haiti, coming off of Cuba, huge challenges in migrant interdiction.

They're trying to patrol and have increasing narcotics coming off from the Andean region into the eastern Pacific off of Mexico. We have routes that are going into Guatemala and Panama, like this big interception, biggest bust in the history of the Coast Guard. There are constant challenges.

Last year, we had zero deaths from what we just were talking about, 9/11-type terrorism, and 20,000 from drug overdose. Since 9/11, we've lost roughly 120,000 Americans to drug and alcohol abuse and all the violence that associates with that, and we lost 3,300 at 9/11.

It's important to understand we're dealing with all sorts of terrorism here, and the Coast Guard has been an important element. As the ranking member of the Homeland Security Subcommittee on Border, Port Security and Global Anti-Terrorism, I'm one who understands how conflicted they are in their missions: Do they stay at port and protect the port? Are they supposed to be out getting a sailboat that tipped over? Are they supposed to be helping the fisheries? Are they supposed to be trying to get people in the eastern Pacific, as they go out past the Galapagos Islands? What about the Caribbean?

They are so multitasked that this Congress has to understand that if we're going to ask the Coast Guard to tackle all these missions, there has to be adequate funding. We have to make sure that not only do the Deepwater ships float, but we also need to make

sure they have them. The controversies over the construction doesn't change the need.

As the drug traffickers move further out into the ocean, they have to have the ability to stay at sea longer. They can't keep running back into port because that's when the drug dealers, and if you can smuggle this much drugs, you can smuggle anthrax, you can smuggle nuclear parts, you can smuggle anything. Contraband is contraband.

If we aren't out there with a physical presence, if we don't have boats that are fast enough, if we don't have helicopters that can come off, if we can't surround or disable, we're not going to be able to intercept narcotics or other terrorists.

I want to commend Commandant Allen, who also basically bailed us out in Katrina, because the Coast Guard has served such an important function in so many areas there is not enough we can do to thank the men and women of the Coast Guard for their bravery, for their ability to do multitasking. And it's very important for this Congress to honor them and to make sure they have adequate funding.

Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.

Madam Speaker, initially, I would like to express thanks to Chairman Oberstar and Subcommittee Chairman Cummings for their support of H. Res. 866, and I also want to express thanks to Ranking Member Mica and Subcommittee Ranking Member LaTourette for their support of the measure and the members on the subcommittee who cosponsored the resolution.

H. Res. 866, Madam Speaker, recognizes the men and women of the United States Coast Guard whose efforts led to a record year in drug interdiction. They are to be commended for their dedication and selfless service in protecting the American people.

Madam Speaker, I'm going to read some numbers imminently, and oftentimes when one reads numbers, it becomes boring and induces sleep, but these numbers I think are significant to the issue at hand.

In 2007, the Coast Guard seized over 355,000 pounds of cocaine, besting the previous record by almost 20,000 pounds. These interdictions removed more than $4.7 billion worth of illegal drugs destined for our communities. Because of these efforts, today our families, schools and communities are more safe and secure despite the bold and sophisticated actions of drug smugglers.

I'd like to take a minute to highlight a few interdictions which led to this year's drug seizure record. First, the Coast Guard made its largest maritime cocaine seizure when it intercepted a Panamanian vessel carrying more than 33,000 pounds of narcotics in March of last year. Additionally, in September of 2007, the Coast Guard interdicted more than 9,000 pounds of cocaine and 3,600 gallons of liquid cocaine.

Finally, Coast Guard men and women, in collaboration with interagency partners, interdicted and boarded a self-propelled, semi-submersible vessel loaded with an estimated $352 billion worth of cocaine this past August.

These success stories, Madam Speaker, are the result of an interagency approach to stemming the tide of illegal drugs. According to Director John Walters of the Office of National Drug Control Policy, the efforts are clearly working as the average price of cocaine has increased and the quality decreased.

Since 1790, the Coast Guard has been the Nation's leading maritime law enforcement agency. Today, missions include drug interdiction, migrant interdiction, fisheries enforcement, environmental compliance and safe boating enforcement. Clearly, the success of the men and women of the Coast Guard is attributed to the multifaceted nature of this branch.

The Coast Guard also confronts unique obstacles with migrant smugglers who, not unlike drug runners, are becoming more brazen and bold in their efforts. I believe we must continue to work to provide the enhanced penalties necessary to deter and punish dangerous, high- speed pursuits and other patently unsafe activity associated with maritime alien smuggling. If we can implement increased deterrence, I have no doubt that the success that the Coast Guard has in drug interdiction will translate to similar success with migrant interdiction.

As we move forward, we need to ensure that the Coast Guard has the appropriate resources to ensure our safety and security. Currently, the Coast Guard is in the midst of a fleet modernization. The overall intent is to provide the men and women of the Coast Guard with the necessary tools to protect our homeland. I applaud the actions taken by Admiral Allen, the commandant, to move this acquisition program, which is desperately needed, in the right direction.

I also again applaud Chairman Oberstar, Subcommittee Chairman Cummings, as well as Congressman Mica and Congressman LaTourette, the ranking members of the full committee and the subcommittee, for their efforts to complement and oversee these actions, and I look forward to working with my colleagues to ensure that the Coast Guard has the equipment necessary to meet our homeland security and safety needs.

Again, Madam Speaker, we commend the men and women of the United States Coast Guard for their drug interdiction success in 2007, and again, I want to thank my colleagues for their consideration and support of H. Res. 866.

Madam Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Madam Speaker, I yield 5 minutes to the distinguished gentleman from Indiana (Mr. Souder).

Madam Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.

Madam Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and agree to the resolution (H. Res. 866) honoring the brave men and women of the United States Coast Guard whose tireless work, dedication, and commitment to protecting the United States have led to the Coast Guard seizing over 350,000 pounds of cocaine at sea during 2007, far surpassing all of our previous records.

Madam Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days within which to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous material on H. Res. 866.

Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.

Madam Speaker, the United States Coast Guard provides extraordinary service to our Nation on a daily basis. They are providing for homeland security. They are providing in this case that we will talk about in some depth a drug interdiction to keep our citizens safe and deprive drug traffickers of easy access to the United States, and they also provide life-saving services, in addition to other routine law enforcement and monitoring activities.

This seizure is fairly extraordinary: 350,000 pounds of cocaine with an estimated street value of about $4.7 billion. That is more than half the budget of the United States Coast Guard. It is extraordinary for this, the smallest of our uniformed services, to have provided that much protection for our country.

There are 41,000 men and women in the Coast Guard who patrol our Nation's shores, gather and process intelligence from around the world every single day of the year, as I mentioned earlier, both a homeland security purpose, and in this case, to interdict drug smuggling.

Though most Americans may not often see the Coast Guard at work along our 95,000 miles of coastline, you can be certain that the effects of the service's essential work ripple down into even local neighborhoods. Drug dealers are feeling the effects of the Coast Guard's good work as they complain of short supplies in more than 35 major U.S. cities.

The Coast Guard has been guarding our coasts and securing our borders since 1790. They do so without need for special recognition. They execute their missions daily, whether it is maritime safety, environmental protection, search and rescue, maritime law enforcement or homeland security.

Due to the Coast Guard's aggressive enforcement in monitoring the Caribbean drug routes, drug smugglers have now had to resort to much more dangerous and expensive tactics providing a deterrent. They've had deterrents to specific routes, which takes them more than 1,000 miles offshore, which costs them more money and presents logistical difficulties, and yet again, gives the Coast Guard further opportunities to interdict.

Although the Coast Guard is the smallest of the seven uniformed services, it is the Nation's leading maritime enforcement agency. Interdicting drugs is an Interagency effort. The Coast Guard relies heavily on their partnerships with numerous Federal and State agencies, including the Department of Defense, Federal Bureau of Investigation, Drug Enforcement Administration and Customs and Border Patrol to extend their law enforcement authority.

These partnerships are a critical component of their interdiction success. They have also negotiated international bilateral agreements to allow them to conduct operations and stop illegal smuggling outside of U.S. territorial waters.

H. Res. 866 honors the brave men and women of the Coast Guard whose tireless work, dedication and commitment to protecting the United States resulted in this extraordinary interdiction of illegal drug shipments in 2007, and on a daily basis protects our Nation and our citizens.

I rise in strong support of H. Res. 866 and urge adoption of the resolution.

Madam Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Madam Speaker, I have no further requests for time, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Madam Speaker, on that I demand the yeas and nays.

Madam Speaker, I rise today in support of H. Res. 866, introduced by my distinguished colleague from North Carolina, Representative Coble, honoring the brave men and women of the United States Coast Guard whose tireless work, dedication, and commitment to protecting the United States have led to the Coast Guard seizing over 350,000 pounds of cocaine at sea during 2007, far surpassing all of our previous records. This bipartisan legislation honors the Coast Guard's important 217-year legacy of protecting American borders and enforcing the laws of the sea.

The maritime safety laws of this country were written in understanding and appreciation of the peril which mariners face when they get on a ship, go out to sea, whether on the saltwater or the fourth coastline of this country, the Great Lakes.

Americans put their trust every day in the Coast Guard to regulate safety on ferry boats and other types of vessels conveying passengers, or on liquefied natural gas tankers that come into our ports. We have to ensure that the Coast Guard will get their full funding needed to carry out those responsibilities.

The United States Coast Guard is the smallest of the seven uniformed services of the United States. Their mission is to protect the public, environment, and the economic and security interest of the United States' coasts, ports, and inland waterways. During the Coast Guard's 217-year legacy of border protection and maritime law enforcement, modern technologies have made their job more perilous. This, however, has not deterred our Nation's brave young men and women from conducting the dangerous duty of drug interdiction.

In 2007, the Coast Guard seized more than 350,000 pounds of cocaine at sea. The street value of this seizure is worth over an estimated $4.7 billion. The sum is nearly one-half of the Coast Guard's annual budget.

The Coast Guard's at-sea drug seizures have reduced the supply of cocaine in more than 35 major cities across the United States, consequently making a positive difference in our American communities. This important legislation recognizes the overwhelming contributions of the Coast Guard to the American community. It furthermore applauds the Coast Guard for their commitment to participating as part of a robust interagency team and international partners that has contributed to the seizure over 2 million pounds of cocaine in the past 10 years.

I commend the men and women of the Coast Guard, who spend countless hours at sea away from their families while they unremittingly work to execute their service's mission. I acknowledge the commitment and selfless service required to protect our Nation and the American people done by Coast Guard men and women without want of public recognition.

I strongly urge my colleagues to join me in supporting this important legislation, and, in so doing, giving our men and women in uniform the respect and recognition they deserve.

Madam Speaker, I rise in strong support of House Resolution 866, which recognizes the brave men and women of the U.S. Coast Guard for their tireless work and dedication in guarding our coasts and securing our borders since 1790. I thank the distinguished gentleman from North Carolina (Mr. Coble), a former Coastguardsman, for introducing this resolution.

Last year was particularly noteworthy for the Coast Guard's drug interdiction efforts. In 2007, the Coast Guard seized more than 350,000 pounds of cocaine, far surpassing all previous Coast Guard records. This seizure had a street value of over $4.7 billion, which equates to almost 50 percent of the Coast Guard's budget.

Throughout its history, the Coast Guard has protected the nation from piracy, rum runners, and illegal drug and migrant smugglers. The Coast Guard's first documented opium seizure was in 1890, by the Revenue Cutter Wolcott. In 1921, the Coast Guard Cutter Seneca seized 1,500 cases of liquor from a rum running schooner off the coast of New Jersey.

Due to the Coast Guard's aggressive drug interdiction pursuits, the supply of cocaine has been greatly reduced in more than 35 major U.S. cities. This has made a significant difference in the lives of American citizens.

The Coast Guard has established interagency and international partnerships which have contributed to its success. The United States negotiated bilateral agreements with 26 Caribbean and South American nations to allow the Coast Guard to stop illegal smuggling and conduct operations far outside the United States territorial seas.

Through these partnerships and more effective tools and tactics, the Coast Guard seized 2 million pounds of cocaine in the past 10 years. In March 2007, the Coast Guard made its largest maritime cocaine seizure in history when it intercepted and seized a Panamanian vessel carrying approximately 20 tons of the dangerous narcotic.

I commend the brave men and women of the Coast Guard for their selfless service and dedication to Nation and the American people. They work tirelessly to fulfill the numerous missions of the service, from search and rescue and environmental protection to maritime law enforcement and homeland security. We can live each day in solace knowing that the Coast Guard is on watch.

I urge my colleagues to join with me in strongly supporting H. Res. 866.