Today, our Nation celebrates the 236th birthday of the United States Coast Guard, a force of American law enforcement professionals and Coast Guardsmen who stand constant watch over our shores, our waters, and our glorious way of life.  From the earliest days of our Republic, Coast Guardsmen have answered every call with the vigilance and grit that define the very best of the American Spirit. 

Ever since its founding under Alexander Hamilton in 1790, the Coast Guard has been indispensable to the security and prosperity of our Nation, serving as America’s maritime first responders and the living standard-bearers of the Long Blue Line, the oldest unbroken tradition of American valor upon the sea.  These crews are defending our maritime border against the narco-terrorist cartels and smugglers who traffic in drugs and human beings.  Every day, they are bravely turning back the illegal invasion at sea and seizing hundreds of billions of dollars in deadly narcotics before this poison can ever reach American shores.  They are the faithful guardians of our ports, harbors, and shipping lanes through which the lifeblood of our economy flows, and they are the first to act when an American citizen is in peril far from shore.  Through gale-force winds and freezing waves, through storms of shrapnel and ash, there is nothing these tenacious warriors will not face in defense of our homeland. 

Coast Guardsmen of this caliber have earned the lasting support of the Nation they protect, and my Administration is meeting that obligation by reclaiming the maritime dominance upon which American liberty has always depended.  Last year, I signed The Working Families Tax Cuts Act, delivering a record $25 billion investment to rebuild the Coast Guard’s fleet and restore the military and law enforcement strength that was allowed to decay under my predecessor.  This historic investment is putting 21 new cutters and 40 new search and rescue helicopters into service alongside 17 state-of-the-art icebreakers, giving our Coast Guardsmen unequaled reach to patrol our coasts from the Caribbean to the Arctic. 

This past December, I was proud to issue every one of these selfless patriots a $2,000 Devotion to Duty payment in recognition of an extraordinary year of service—a fitting expression of the gratitude our Republic owes to those who dedicate their lives to our security.  Thanks to my Administration’s policies, recruiting numbers have climbed to their highest levels in a generation, and the Coast Guard is once again operating with a confidence and spirit unmatched in its long and glorious history.  As Commander in Chief, I pledge to the men and women of the Coast Guard that I will fight for them at every turn and that, in this new Golden Age for America, they will sail farther, soar higher, and strike harder than ever before.

On this day, we honor the incredible legacy and unique mission of the United States Coast Guard and pay tribute to every Coast Guardsman who has ever served our Nation as well as those who remain “Always Ready” this very hour at home and abroad.  Their courage remains the standard by which American resolve is measured, and so long as they guard our waters, they will forever keep safe the freedom, the prosperity, and the security that are the birthright of every American.

Semper Paratus!