Sponsors (3)
The bill clarifies and civilianizes Coast Guard leadership—improving managerial clarity and continuity—but narrows the eligible candidate pool and risks confirmation delays, reduced personnel flexibility, and modest transition costs.
Federal civilian leadership (DHS and Coast Guard civilian managers, and federal employees who interact with the Coast Guard) will have a clearly designated civilian Secretary of the Coast Guard reporting to DHS, with statutory cross‑references updated to reduce legal ambiguity over civilian authorities.
Coast Guard leadership and federal managers gain an Under Secretary position that provides dedicated civilian managerial capacity and continuity for non‑military functions, improving day‑to‑day management and institutional memory.
Military personnel and DoD/DHS partners will see reduced role ambiguity because the Commandant's statutory role is clarified as the Coast Guard's senior military advisor while preserving military duties.
Federal operations and mission continuity could be disrupted if Senate confirmation delays leave the new civilian Secretary or Under Secretary posts vacant for extended periods.
Recent veterans and formerly serving officers (military personnel separated within the last 7 years) will be ineligible for the Secretary role, narrowing the candidate pool and potentially excluding leaders with recent operational experience.
DHS and Coast Guard personnel management flexibility could be reduced because the law limits appointing currently serving officers who hold other DHS roles to the new positions, constraining how senior talent is reassigned across DHS components.
Based on analysis of 2 sections of legislative text.
Creates a civilian Secretary and Under Secretary of the Coast Guard within DHS, changes reporting lines, and updates statutory cross‑references in Titles 6, 10, and 14 U.S.C.
Official title: Establish a Secretary of the Coast Guard.
Introduced July 22, 2026 by Richard Lynn Scott · Last progress July 22, 2026
Creates a presidentially appointed, Senate‑confirmed civilian Secretary of the Coast Guard and an Under Secretary of the Coast Guard within the Department of Homeland Security, and adjusts statutory cross‑references to reflect the new offices. The new Secretary must be a civilian selected for relevant management experience, generally barred from appointment within seven years after relief from active commissioned service, reports directly to the Secretary of Homeland Security, and oversees duties currently performed under existing statutes while the Commandant remains the Coast Guard’s senior military officer and principal military advisor.