	Background

		The Coast Guard's Role in Homeland Security

The Coast Guard, which is a part of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), is the lead federal agency for maritime homeland security. Section 888(a)(2) of The Homeland Security Act of 2002 ( P.L. As shown in the table, the Coast Guard for FY2008 is requesting a total of about $4.5 billion, or a bit more than half its total proposed budget, for these five missions.
The Coast Guard is the lead federal agency for maritime homeland security. For FY2008, the Coast Guard is requesting a total of about $4.5 billion, or a bit more than half its total proposed budget, for the five missions defined in The Homeland Security Act of 2002 ( P.L. 107-296 ) as the Coast Guard's homeland security missions. The Coast Guard's homeland security operations pose several potential issues for Congress. This report will be updated as events warrant.