Federal budget cuts have been good for drug traffickers: The Coast Guard slashed its operating costs by a quarter last year because of sequestration. As a result, Coast Guard Commandant Bob Papp recently told an industry gathering in San Diego that U.S. intelligence tracked just a third of the drug smuggling boats and planes that traveled between Latin America and the United States. And he said the Coast Guard’s resources are “woefully inadequate.” Adm. Papp spoke with Tom Temin and Emily Kopp on The Federal Drive about the problem of capturing drug smugglers.

Copyright © 2025 Federal News Network. All rights reserved. This website is not intended for users located within the European Economic Area.