U.S. Coast Guard
The U.S. Coast Guard is the maritime military service responsible for search and rescue, maritime law enforcement and port security, and operates under the Department of Homeland Security in peacetime. Entries naming it concern its contracting and procurement decisions and its handling of participation in public events, rather than its operational missions.
2026 Events (2)
U.S. Coast Guard removed the sloop Clearwater from a July 4 New York Harbor parade over its advocacy banners
On July 4, 2026, a U.S. Coast Guard crew ordered the historic sloop Clearwater to leave the Sail4th 250 Parade of Sail in New York Harbor because it displayed banners reading "Save the Clean Water Act" and "Indigenous Rights, Racial Justice, Climate Solutions." The Coast Guard, assisted by the Navy and NYPD, escorted the environmental nonprofit's vessel out of the procession after its crew declined to remove the messages. The agency said participants had agreed not to display political messages, while the nonprofit said it was never offered a chance to take the banners down.
Coast Guard sole-sourced $957 million Arctic icebreaker contract to Davie Defense without competitive bidding
On February 10, 2026, the U.S. Coast Guard awarded a sole-source, single-offer contract worth $957 million to Davie Defense Inc. for five Arctic Security Cutters, citing a public-interest exception rather than competing the work. The award completed an 11-ship, roughly $3.3 billion program that followed President Trump's personal push for a larger icebreaker fleet than the Coast Guard had itself requested; the program's first two contracts, awarded to Bollinger Shipyards and Rauma Marine Constructions on December 26, 2025, are recorded separately.
2025 Events (5)
Coast Guard sole-sourced $2.39 billion in Arctic icebreaker contracts to Bollinger and Rauma without competitive bidding
On December 26, 2025, the U.S. Coast Guard awarded sole-source, single-offer contracts worth a combined $2.39 billion to Bollinger Shipyards and Rauma Marine Constructions for six Arctic Security Cutters, citing a public-interest exception rather than competing the work. The awards were the first two of an 11-ship, roughly $3.3 billion program that followed President Trump's personal push for a larger icebreaker fleet than the Coast Guard had itself requested; the program's third contract, awarded to Davie Defense on February 10, 2026, is recorded separately.
U.S. Coast Guard seizes Panama-flagged oil tanker Centuries off Venezuela as Trump's oil 'blockade' escalates
In a pre-dawn operation on Saturday, Dec. 20, 2025, the U.S. Coast Guard seized a Panama-flagged oil tanker named Centuries off Venezuela, the second sanctioned tanker the United States took within roughly ten days, as part of President Trump's declared "total and complete blockade" of sanctioned oil vessels entering or leaving Venezuela. The White House called Centuries a "falsely flagged vessel operating as part of the Venezuelan shadow fleet," while Venezuela condemned the seizure as "a serious act of piracy" and said it would complain to the U.N. Security Council.
Trump directed U.S. forces to seize oil tanker Skipper off Venezuela, opening blockade campaign without congressional authorization
On December 10, 2025, U.S. forces seized the crude-oil tanker Skipper off the coast of Venezuela in a pre-dawn operation launched from the USS Gerald R. Ford, boarding the vessel with Coast Guard and Marine personnel under a DOJ civil-forfeiture warrant. President Trump announced the seizure at a White House event, declaring the U.S. would keep the roughly 1–2 million barrels of Venezuelan crude on board. The action — the first vessel seizure of a broader oil-blockade campaign — was carried out without congressional authorization; Venezuela condemned it as "an act of international piracy."
Coast Guard Exchange stores sold Trump-branded wine and cider tax-free on federal property
Coast Guard Exchange retail stores at U.S. Coast Guard headquarters in Washington, D.C., and in Centreville, Virginia, stocked and sold wine and cider produced by President Trump's Trump Winery and American Cider Co. tax-free to service members and their families, Forbes reported on November 7, 2025. DHS Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin confirmed and defended the arrangement, while government watchdog CREW called it an "optics and ethics issue."
Coast Guard awards $172M no-bid contract for two Gulfstream G700 jets for DHS Secretary Noem and leadership
On October 17, 2025, the U.S. Coast Guard approved a $172 million no-bid contract — with a total estimated cost of $200 million — to purchase two Gulfstream G700 private jets for use by DHS Secretary Kristi Noem and other DHS leadership, even as a government shutdown had halted other federal services. DHS had previously sought funding for a single aircraft at a projected cost of $50 million; the no-bid contract for two jets at four times that estimate drew immediate criticism from House Appropriations Democrats, who alleged the purchase was made to benefit Noem personally.