WASHINGTON – Today, U.S. Senator Chris Murphy (D-Conn.), a member of the U.S. Senate Appropriations Committee, applauded Senate passage of the Coast Guard Authorization Act, a bill that ensures that the Coast Guard is able to support the constructionconstruction and installation of exhibits and displays for the National Coast Guard Museum, which is being constructed in New London, Connecticut.

Under current law, the U.S. Coast Guard is prohibited from using federal funding to support the design and construction of the museum and is limited in its ability to support efforts to preserve and display artifacts from its history at the museum. Thanks to the hard work of U.S. Representative Joe Courtney (CT-2) and U.S. Senator Richard Blumenthal, the Coast Guard Authorization Act amends this law to ensure that the Coast Guard can provide funding for “the design, fabrication, and installation of exhibits or displays in which such artifacts are included.” 

“The Coast Guard has a rich history dating back 225 years, and there’s a lot to show for it with New London at the center of it all. The new museum will be a tourist destination and a welcome tribute to Eastern Connecticut’s history,” said Murphy. “I’m grateful the Senate passed this important bill to correct outdated language barring the Coast Guard from supporting the museum constructed in its honor, and I’ll be working hard on the Appropriations Committee to see it through to the finish line.”

Murphy has been a longtime advocate of National Coast Guard Museum. Murphy and U.S. Senator Richard Blumenthal introduced the United States Coast Guard Commemorative Coin Act earlier this year to honor the men and women of the Coast Guard and to support the establishment of the National Coast Guard Museum. Once the museum is completed, each branch of the United States military will finally have a national museum through which to share its history and legacy with the American public.