Rep. Courtney: Trump’s Firing of Admiral Fagan is an Abuse of Power
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, Congressman Joe Courtney (CT-02) issued the following statement after President Trump fired Admiral Linda Fagan, the 27th Commandant of the Coast Guard. Fagan began her four-year post in June of 2022.
“President Trump’s unprecedented decision on day one to fire a service chief ahead of her scheduled departure is an abuse of power that slanders the good name and record of Admiral Fagan.
“Under Admiral Fagan’s leadership, the Coast Guard exceeded its 2024 recruitment goal for the first time since 2017; interdicted over $2.5 billion in illegal drugs from bad actors in 2024; and demonstrated an aggressive commitment to countering adversaries in the Artic by championing the ICE Pact to speed up production of new icebreaker vessels, which the US has not built in nearly 50 years. Following her predecessor’s cover up of Operation Fouled Anchor, Admiral Fagan provided a fundamental change in Coast Guard leadership and has led the service with transparency and honesty to rebuild trust and correct the persistent sexual misconduct problems facing the service.
“The Commandant’s outstanding record completely negates the President’s demonstrably false claims and signals his enduring interest to put politics over the best interest of our servicemembers and national security.”
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