Washington, D.C. – The Council for Citizens Against Government Waste (CCAGW) today called on the Senate to pass S. 924, the Integrated Deepwater Program Reform Act.  Deepwater is the Coast Guard’s 20-year, $24 billion plan to modernize its fleet.

“This bill promises to bring oversight and accountability which Deepwater needs in order to help maintain its costs and stability,” said CCAGW President Tom Schatz.  “Streamlining the program and looking into alternative methods will save the program valuable funding dollars.”

S. 924 requires full and open competition for any procurement for which an outside contractor is used.  Additionally, the bill calls for the submission of reports to Congress explaining the rationale, estimated price, and recommendations of various agencies before going through with costly procurements.  It encourages the Coast Guard to examine alternatives and requires the agency to implement recommendations made by the Government Accountability Office in March 2004.  

In January 2007, a Department of Homeland Security Office of the Inspector General report detailed design flaws and lax oversight with Deepwater’s National Security Cutter (NSC).  The report’s executive summary declared: “The NSC, as designed and constructed, will not meet performance specifications described in the original Deepwater contract.  Specifically, due to design deficiencies, the NSC’s structure provides insufficient fatigue strength … [which will] increase the cutter’s maintenance costs and reduce its service life.” 

Increased oversight and funding controls will prevent the recurrence of such incidents as the NSC and the USCGC Matagorda.  The Coast Guard had to recall the Matagorda out of its fleet due to serious structural problems that made it unseaworthy.

“This bill strikes at the fundamental problems of Deepwater.  Increasing transparency by making the program accountable for its funding and contracting will save the Coast Guard and taxpayers money.  Congress must restore some fiscal responsibility to our national security spending,” concluded Schatz.

The Council for Citizens Against Government Waste is the lobbying arm of Citizens Against Government Waste, a nonpartisan, nonprofit organization dedicated to eliminating waste, fraud, abuse, and mismanagement in government.