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The Tribune`s July 2 editorial ”Guarding the nation`s coasts” notes some of the problems facing the Coast Guard in meeting its many
responsibilities. However, several points need clarification.
It is not correct that the Coast Guard ”has only quasi-military status in peacetime.” The Coast Guard, by statute, is at all times an armed force of the United States, even though it is in the Department of Transportation.
The administration`s user fee proposal which we support would shift the cost of some Coast Guard services from the general taxpayers to those who receive the benefit of those services. The fees would go into the treasury and not to the Coast Guard. We would continue to receive our funding through the appropriate process.
