{"database": "press", "table": "releases", "rows": [["https://ezell.house.gov/news/documentsingle.aspx?DocumentID=819", "Subcommittee Chairman Ezell Hosts U.S. Coast Guard Acting Commandant Admiral Kevin Lunday for Tour of Mississippi\u2019s Fourth District", "2025-06-03", "2025", "2025-06", "Republican", "House", "MS", "Mike Ezell", "E000235", "ezell.house.gov", "ezell", "https://ezell.house.gov/news/documentquery.aspx?DocumentTypeID=27", "scraper", "Congressman Mike Ezell (MS-04) welcomed U.S. Coast Guard Acting Commandant Admiral Kevin Lunday to Mississippi\u2019s Fourth Congressional District last week for a series of briefings and site visits focused on domestic shipbuilding, Coast Guard operations, and maritime security.\n\nAdmiral Lunday and Ezell, who also serves as Chairman of the House Coast Guard and Maritime Transportation Subcommittee, toured Bollinger Mississippi Shipbuilding in Pascagoula, MS, Austal USA in Mobile, AL, the U.S. Coast Guard Station Pascagoula, and the Port Security Unit 308 in Kiln, MS to meet with service members and local leaders.\n\n\u201cI was honored to host Admiral Lunday in South Mississippi and highlight the critical role our region plays in supporting the U.S. Coast Guard\u2019s mission,\u201d Ezell said. \u201cFrom the skilled workforce at our shipyards to the dedicated service members at USCG Station Pascagoula and PSU 308, Mississippi\u2019s Fourth District and the Gulf Coast have a proud tradition of contributing to our nation\u2019s maritime strength and homeland security. Under Admiral Lunday\u2019s leadership, I\u2019m confident that our partnership will continue to grow, and I look forward to working closely with him to strengthen maritime safety, national defense, and economic opportunity along the Gulf Coast.\u201d\n\n\"The impressive work I saw firsthand by American shipbuilders at Bollinger Mississippi and Austal shipyards demonstrates the vital effort to modernize the Coast Guard fleet and rebuild America\u2019s maritime dominance,\" Acting Commandant Admiral Kevin E. Lunday said. \"We're grateful for Chairman Ezell's leadership and Congress\u2019s support to deliver the strong, capable, and ready Coast Guard the Nation needs.\u201d\n\nThe Commandant of the U.S. Coast Guard is the service\u2019s highest-ranking officer, a four-star admiral appointed by the President and confirmed by the Senate. Admiral Kevin Lunday currently serves as the Acting Commandant, having assumed the role on January 21, 2025, while awaiting Senate confirmation.\n\nOn May 21, 2025, Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem announced Force Design 2028 (FD2028). This initiative provides a blueprint to transform the Coast Guard into a stronger, more ready and capable fighting force. Noem\u2019s FD2028 executive report outlines a vision for the Coast Guard\u2019s future, including 5 major points:\n\nEstablish a Service Secretary so that the Coast Guard has the same representation as other military services, in line with Ezell\u2019s bill, H.R. 2546, the Secretary of the Coast Guard Act of 2025.\n\nReorganize the Service to streamline processes, better integrate capabilities and eliminate redundancies.\n\nInvest in the men and women who serve in the Coast Guard.\n\nInvest in technology to improve efficiency and capability.\n\nImprove and streamline the acquisition process.\n\nFD2028 represents an opportunity at a critical moment in history to transform the Coast Guard. Within 30 days, the commandant will deliver an execution plan, followed by the commencement of a force posture and operational concepts campaign within 150 days, and the first of semiannual updates within 180 days.", 1, "2026-03-30T01:40:41Z", "2026-04-07T01:08:28Z"]], "columns": ["url", "title", "date", "year", "month", "party", "chamber", "state", "member_name", "bioguide_id", "domain", "scraper", "source", "date_source", "text", "has_text", "collected_at", "updated_at"], "primary_keys": ["url"], "primary_key_values": ["https://ezell.house.gov/news/documentsingle.aspx?DocumentID=819"], "units": {}, "query_ms": 0.97671989351511, "source": "dwillis/congress-press", "source_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press", "license": "MIT", "license_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press/blob/main/LICENSE"}