US Federal House Bill HB2051

US Federal 2025-2026 Regular Session

• Introduced: 3/11/25
• Refer: 3/11/25

Caption

Coast Guard Sustained Funding Act of 2025

Summary

HB2051, the Coast Guard Sustained Funding Act of 2025, would create a permanent statutory funding mechanism to keep certain Coast Guard personnel paid during a Coast Guard-specific lapse in appropriations. If Congress has not enacted a general appropriations bill for the Coast Guard by the start of a fiscal year, the bill would automatically appropriate whatever sums are necessary to continue pay and allowances for Coast Guard military members, including reservists on active service or inactive-duty training, as well as pay and benefits for qualifying civilian and contract employees. The bill also specifies how the Anti-Deficiency Act would apply during such a lapse, preserving the general prohibition on obligations without appropriations while recognizing existing exceptions for express statutory authority, emergencies involving human life or property, and certain presidential/congressional functions. The new section would remain in effect only until a regular or continuing appropriation is enacted, or until Congress passes a law that omits such funding. It would also add a conforming amendment to the title 14 chapter analysis.

Impact

The bill would amend title 14 of the U.S. Code by adding a new section 2780 to chapter 27, creating an automatic appropriation for Coast Guard pay and related benefits during a Coast Guard-specific funding lapse. It would directly affect Coast Guard military personnel, reserve members, certain civilian employees, and certain contract employees, while leaving broader appropriations law intact except for the targeted funding authority and related Anti-Deficiency Act treatment. The measure would not broadly change federal shutdown rules, but would carve out a Coast Guard-specific continuity-of-pay provision in statute.

Sentiment

Based on the bill text and available context, the measure appears to be framed as a practical, bipartisan workforce-continuity bill rather than a controversial policy overhaul. It was introduced by Representatives Green of Tennessee and Gimenez and referred to the House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure, then to the Subcommittee on Coast Guard and Maritime Transportation, with no recorded votes or committee transcript debate in the provided materials. The overall sentiment suggested by the bill’s structure is supportive of ensuring Coast Guard personnel are paid during appropriations lapses.

Contention

No specific points of contention are documented in the provided record, but the main policy issue inherent in the bill is the creation of a standing automatic appropriation for one federal entity during a shutdown scenario. Potential concerns could include whether the Coast Guard should receive special treatment relative to other agencies, how broadly qualifying civilian and contract employees should be defined, and how the new authority interacts with the Anti-Deficiency Act and existing appropriations controls. Because there are no transcripts or votes, no member or stakeholder opposition can be identified from the available materials.