The Coast Guard Authorization Act of 2025 comprehensively reforms and expands Coast Guard operations, leadership structure, and oversight requirements. The bill creates a new civilian "Secretary of the Coast Guard" position subject to Senate confirmation who would oversee all Coast Guard operations, while establishing new senior positions including a Chief Prosecutor and Inspector General, and requires extensive congressional reporting on everything from Arctic infrastructure projects to sexual assault prevention programs. The legislation significantly reduces required sea service time for merchant mariner credentials, expands Coast Guard presence in the Pacific region, and mandates numerous studies on topics ranging from unmanned aircraft systems to housing allowances for personnel in Alaska. Key provisions include strengthened "Buy American" requirements for new vessels, enhanced evidence retention policies for misconduct cases, and requirements for the Government Accountability Office to review Coast Guard reforms addressing sexual assault and harassment, with most reporting requirements and studies to be completed within 180 days to two years of enactment.
Take Action
Your position
Add a comment
to comment on this bill.
Annotate the text
Highlight any passage on the Summary or Full Text tab to attach a note. Annotations appear on the Annotations tab.