Rick Scott holds up Coast Guard promotions over issues with shipbuilders

Florida GOP Sen. Rick Scott said Wednesday he is blocking promotions for hundreds of Coast Guard officers because of questions pertaining to the construction of four new ships.

Eastern Shipbuilding Group secured a multibillion-dollar contract with the Coast Guard in 2016 to deliver four new Offshore Patrol Cutters. The company was supposed to finish the first ship by 2023, but faced multiple delays.  

Former Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem last year reduced the number of ships from four to two, but the shipbuilders stopped working on the ships in November “due to significant financial strain caused by the program’s structure and conditions.”

Scott said he believes the Coast Guard need the ships and that he has been engaged in "good faith" discussions with all parties involved to come up with a resolution.

“This is about accountability; the American people need to know how and why their money is being spent and they deserve that honesty from their government,” he told The Hill.

Scott's tactic mirrors a similar move by Alabama GOP Sen. Tommy Tuberville, who blocked the promotions of hundreds of military officers in 2023 in an attempt to get the Pentagon to change its abortion policies. 

The Senate can still confirm the Coast Guard officers but will need to do so individually.

Misty Severi is a news reporter for Just The News. You can follow her on X for more coverage.