WASHINGTON—House Republican Conference Chairwoman Lisa McClain (R-Mich.) today celebrated the bipartisan passage of the Coast Guard Reauthorization Act of 2025, which includes a critical provision she championed that will give the U.S. Coast Guard long-overdue asset forfeiture authority.
“Michigan relies on the Coast Guard every day to patrol the Great Lakes, respond to emergencies, and protect our borders,” Chairwoman McClain said. “The Coast Guard is on the front lines of fighting drug smuggling, human trafficking, and illegal fishing, yet until now, they had to hand over the fruits of their operations to a general fund. I am proud to secure this new provision that will allow them to directly reinvest those resources into their own mission.”
The new authority allows the Coast Guard to retain funds and assets seized during law enforcement operations—an ability already granted to most other federal law enforcement agencies. Previously, the Coast Guard was required to deposit all seized proceeds into the Department of the Treasury’s general forfeiture fund, where they could be redistributed to a wide range of agencies, with no guarantee that the Coast Guard would benefit from its own enforcement work.
The Coast Guard Reauthorization Act supports the service’s operational needs and long-term modernization goals, including vessel procurement, personnel readiness, and Arctic mission capabilities.
