The BIF funds four specific categories of infrastructure funding for the United States Coast Guard (USCG) and states in bill language that three of the categories were pulled from the USCG unfunded priorities list (UPL). The fourth is $120 million for childcare centers, not mentioned on the USCG UPL.

The three categories pulled from the UPL and specifically mentioned in the bill language are:

1. Housing, Family Support, Safety, and Training Facilities
2. Shore Construction Addressing Facility Deficiencies, and
3. Shore Construction Supporting Organizational Assets and Maritime Commerce

For your convenience, Taxpayers for Common Sense crosswalked the Coast Guard UPL and the BIF bill language to list the exact projects the infrastructure framework would spend money on and where they are located.

$131.5 million in “Housing, Family Support, Safety, and Training Facilities” The UPL indicates these projects are:

Training Center Recapitalization, Cape May, NJ ($10 million)

Kodiak Housing (Phase IV), Kodiak, AK ($40 million)

Sector New York Housing (Phase II), Staten Island, NY ($5 million)

Novato Housing, Novato, CA ($10 million)

Recapitalize Failing Steam System at CGA, New London, CT ($25 million)

FRC Crew Housing, Seward, AK ($13.5 million)

Renovate Chase Hall Barracks at Coast Guard Academy, New London, CT ($28 million)

$158 million in “Shore Construction Addressing Facility Deficiencies” The UPL indicates these projects are:

Pier and Infrastructure, Pensacola, FL ($28 million)

Fuel Pier Recapitalization, Kodiak, AK ($130 million)

$19.5 million in “Shore Construction Supporting Operational Assets and Maritime Commerce” The UPL indicates these projects are:

Afloat Maintenance Support, Ketchikan, AK ($4 million)

Station Port Angeles Moorings, Port Angeles, WA ($9.5 million)

City Pier Improvements, New London, CT ($6 million)

The total amount of UPL requests included in the BIF is $309 million. Of that, $187.5 million, just shy of 61%, is for the State of Alaska across four projects.  And $59 million (roughly 19%) is for Connecticut.  That means roughly 80% of this money is going to two states – states where the Coast Guard is a major presence, but – we find that a notable statistic given Senator Murkowski’s (R-AK) significant presence in the crafting of this framework.

Spending infrastructure funds on military construction projects is a stretch but one that doesn’t require us to stand on our heads and squint to understand. However, an amendment by Senators Ernst (R-IA) and Wicker (R-MS) is not defensible by any stretch, standing on our heads or with our feet planted firmly in the fiscal realities of the moment. The amendment would add $800 million to cover the rest of the items on the Coast Guard UPL. These other items include additional money for the National Security Cutter program, more Polar icebreaking capabilities, an HC-130J aircraft, and tuition assistance parity. No, this is not infrastructure by any tortured definition of the word. This may amount to Senators believing the BIF may be the only true spending bill that has a chance of passing the Congress this year. And if you believe the rumors that most of government will be funded by a Continuing Resolution in Fiscal Year 2022, they may be right.

The Coast Guard UPL also lists three additional infrastructure projects for homeport and facility improvements, totaling $120 million that weren’t included in the original framework. Again, we can understand the possibility that these fit within an infrastructure framework but, please, no one tell the rest of the military services. The next thing you know, every orphaned military construction project will be looking for a new home in the BIF.