HR 2546119th CongressIn Committee

Secretary of the Coast Guard Act of 2025

Introduced: Apr 1, 2025

Standard Summary

Comprehensive overview in 1-2 paragraphs

The Secretary of the Coast Guard Act of 2025 would create a new, Senate-confirmed position—the Secretary of the Coast Guard—within the Coast Guard structure. The Secretary would be appointed by the President with the advice and consent of the Senate and would oversee the Coast Guard, with authority and duties prescribed by law or by the President or the Secretary (in practice the head of the department). The Commandant would report directly to the Secretary of the Coast Guard. The Secretary of the Coast Guard would, in turn, report within the department (e.g., the Department of Homeland Security) in a defined chain of command. The bill also makes clerical changes to the U.S. Code to define “Secretary of the Coast Guard” and “Commandant” and renumbers sections accordingly.

Key Points

1Establishes a new office: Secretary of the Coast Guard, a presidential appointee subject to Senate confirmation.
2New leadership structure: The Coast Guard would be led by the Secretary of the Coast Guard, with the Commandant reporting to this Secretary.
3Reporting lines: The Secretary of the Coast Guard would report within the department (to the appropriate department Secretary) and the Commandant would report directly to the Secretary of the Coast Guard.
4Powers and duties: The Secretary would exercise powers of the Secretary in section 501 and perform duties related to directing the Coast Guard, as prescribed by law or by the President or Secretary.
5Statutory housekeeping: Adds a formal definitional section for the Secretary of the Coast Guard and reorders the Coast Guard-related provisions in Title 14, updating the codified structure (e.g., Sec. 106 becomes “Secretary of the Coast Guard defined” and Sec. 107 becomes “Commandant defined”).

Impact Areas

Primary group/area affected- Coast Guard personnel and operations: A new, higher-ranking civilian leader would oversee the service, potentially altering command dynamics and oversight.Secondary group/area affected- Department of Homeland Security (or the relevant department): The Coast Guard would be led by a Secretary who operates within the department’s structure, with the Commandant reporting to that Secretary, potentially changing internal reporting and accountability lines.Additional impacts- Budget and governance: Reorganization could affect budgeting, allocation of resources, and statutory authorities tied to the Coast Guard; requires legislative action to implement and may necessitate additional administrative transitions.- Interagency coordination: Shifts in chain-of-command could influence coordination with other defense and homeland security agencies, maritime safety, law enforcement, and border security missions.- Legal/administrative clarity: The codification provides formal definitional and organizational changes that would guide future policymaking and oversight, pending further legislative action and implementation details.

Generated by gpt-5-nano on Nov 18, 2025