First Offshore Patrol Cutter, the Argus, was christened in 2023. The ship has not been delivered to the Coast Guard yet. Photo: Eastern Shipbuilding Group

A proposed bill by House Appropriators would zero the Coast Guard’s $204 million request for the Offshore Patrol Cutter (OPC) program in fiscal year 2027, saying efforts to begin a competition for the third stage of the medium endurance program is premature. A report accompanying the House Appropriators’ version of the FY ’27 budget request for the Department of Homeland Security says that “instead” of starting stage three of the OPC competition, “the Committee encourages the Coast Guard to focus…