{"database": "press", "table": "releases", "rows": [["https://web.archive.org/web/20141122223723/http://www.scott.senate.gov:80/press-release/bipartisan-bicoastal-group-lawmakers-calls-coast-guard-keep-facilities-open", "Bipartisan, Bicoastal Group of Lawmakers Calls on Coast Guard to Keep Facilities Open", "2014-11-18", "2014", "2014-11", "Republican", "House", "SC", "Tim Scott", "S001184", "web.archive.org", null, null, "legacy", "Washington, D.C.\u00a0\u2013 In a continued effort to ensure the safety of residents living and working in coastal areas, members of Congress from Oregon today joined South Carolina lawmakers in calling on the U.S. Coast Guard to keep facilities in South Carolina and Oregon from closing next month.\u00a0  \u00a0\u00a0  Senators Tim Scott, R-S.C., Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., Ron Wyden, D-Ore., and Jeff Merkley, D-Ore., and Representatives Mark Sanford, R-S.C., Tom Rice, R-S.C., Kurt Schrader, D-Ore., Peter DeFazio, D-Ore., Suzanne Bonamici, D-Ore., and Earl Blumenauer, D-Ore., signed the letter urging the Coast Guard to reverse its abrupt announcement from October that it would close facilities in Charleston, South Carolina and Newport, Oregon. Rep. Duncan Hunter, R-Calif., chairman of the House Subcommittee on Coast Guard and Maritime Transportation, also signed the letter.\u00a0  \u00a0\u00a0  \u201cWe believe that the United States Coast Guard\u2019s decision to close air facilities in Newport, Oregon and Charleston, South Carolina would needlessly endanger mariners in our respective states and we urge you to prevent the Coast Guard from doing so,\u201d the lawmakers wrote in the letter.\u00a0  \u00a0\u00a0  While the Coast Guard claims that it will still be able to meet the national standard of a two-hour search-and-rescue response time, the lawmakers argue that fewer assets could lengthen response times and threaten the safety of local mariners.\u00a0\u00a0  \u00a0\u00a0  \u201cWhile we strongly support efforts to spend federal dollars more efficiently, we cannot support budget cuts that needlessly jeopardize the lives of our constituents.\u00a0 We therefore urge you to reevaluate the Coast Guard\u2019s decision and to prevent the Coast Guard from closing these air facilities,\u201d they wrote.\u00a0  \u00a0\u00a0  In response to previous calls from South Carolina and Oregon lawmakers, the Coast Guard announced it would delay the December 1 closure of the Charleston and Newport facilities until December 15. Charleston is one of the nation\u2019s busiest cargo ports, and is home to a robust tourism industry as well as large shrimp, crab and oyster fleets.\u00a0 Newport houses National Oceanic and Atmospheric vessels and Oregon\u2019s largest commercial fishing fleet, in addition to research vessels from Oregon State University.\u00a0  \u00a0\u00a0  Read the full letter\u00a0here.\u00a0\n###", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"]], "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://web.archive.org/web/20141122223723/http://www.scott.senate.gov:80/press-release/bipartisan-bicoastal-group-lawmakers-calls-coast-guard-keep-facilities-open"], "units": {}, "query_ms": 0.897945137694478, "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"}