House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee Passes Strong Legislation Co-Authored by Ranking Member Garamendi and Chairman Hunter on GPS Backup Systems and Heavy Icebreakers

Congressman John Garamendi (D-CA), Ranking Member of the Subcommittee on Coast Guard and Maritime Transportation, hailed the passage by the Transportation and Infrastructure Committee of legislation that would require the creation of a GPS backup system and streamline the Coast Guard’s acquisition of a heavy icebreaker fleet. Garamendi has previously introduced standalone legislation, such as H.R. 1678, to encourage development of a GPS backup. This bill served as the basis for even stronger legislation, developed in bipartisan cooperation with Subcommittee Chairman Duncan Hunter (R-CA), that has now passed the full Committee. The inclusion of both the GPS and heavy icebreaker provisions is a major milestone in a four-year-long effort by Reps. Garamendi and Hunter to address these critical national security issues