Events on January 28 in history

An act of the U.S. Congress creates the United States Coast Guard as a branch of the United States Armed Forces.

Understanding the United States Congress: The Core of U.S. Federal Lawmaking

The United States Congress stands as the esteemed legislative body of the U.S. federal government, fulfilling the critical role of crafting national laws. Established under Article One of the U.S. Constitution, it replaced the less effective Congress of the Confederation and first convened in 1789, marking a pivotal moment in American governance.

Structure and Membership: A Bicameral System

Congress operates as a bicameral legislature, a two-chamber system designed to ensure robust checks and balances and diverse representation. This structure comprises two distinct bodies:

• The House of Representatives: Often referred to as the lower chamber, the House is designed to be more responsive to the immediate will of the people, with its members facing elections more frequently.
• The Senate: As the upper chamber, the Senate provides a more deliberative and stable legislative environment, representing states equally regardless of population size.

Both chambers convene within the iconic United States Capitol building in Washington, D.C., a symbol of American democracy.

The Congress comprises a total of 535 voting members: 100 senators and 435 representatives. While senators and representatives are primarily chosen through direct popular election, vacancies in the Senate can be filled by gubernatorial appointment, ensuring continuous representation. The Vice President of the United States serves as the President of the Senate and holds a unique tie-breaking vote, exercising it only when senators are evenly divided on a measure. Additionally, the House of Representatives includes six non-voting members who represent territories and the District of Columbia, allowing their voices to be heard, albeit without a vote on the final passage of legislation.

Electoral Processes and Terms of Service

Each "sitting" of a Congress constitutes a two-year term, commencing every other January. National elections for federal offices, including all House seats and a portion of Senate seats, are consistently held on Election Day during even-numbered years.

• House of Representatives: All 435 representatives are elected for the two-year term of a Congress. The Reapportionment Act of 1929 dictates that these members are elected from single-member constituencies, commonly known as congressional districts, using the "first-past-the-post" method, where the candidate with the most votes wins. These congressional districts are meticulously apportioned to states every ten years based on population data derived from the United States Census, ensuring proportional representation. Crucially, every state is guaranteed at least one congressional representative, irrespective of its population.
• Senate: Each state, regardless of its population size or geographic area, is allocated two senators, resulting in the current total of 100 senators for the 50 states. Senators are elected "at-large," meaning they represent the entire state, and serve a six-year term. To ensure legislative continuity and stability, Senate terms are staggered: approximately one-third of the Senate seats are up for election every two years. This system prevents a complete turnover of the chamber in any single election cycle.

Qualifications and Political Affiliation

To safeguard the integrity and experience within the legislative body, Article One of the U.S. Constitution sets specific eligibility requirements for members of Congress:

• House of Representatives: A candidate must be at least 25 years old, have been a U.S. citizen for a minimum of seven years, and be an inhabitant of the state they represent.
• Senate: Candidates for the Senate must be at least 30 years old, have been a U.S. citizen for at least nine years, and also be an inhabitant of the state they represent.

A notable feature of congressional service is that members in both chambers can stand for re-election an unlimited number of times, allowing for the accumulation of experience and institutional knowledge.

While not legally mandated, political affiliation has been a practical reality since the 19th century. In practice, nearly all members of Congress are affiliated with one of the two major political parties: the Democratic Party or the Republican Party. Affiliation with a third party or as an independent is rare. However, even independent members can and often do caucus with members of the major political parties to advance legislative goals. While uncommon, members possess the autonomy to switch party affiliations at any time during their tenure.

How often are U.S. House of Representatives elections held?

Elections for all 435 members of the U.S. House of Representatives are held every two years, coinciding with the two-year term of a Congress.

How are congressional districts determined?

Congressional districts are determined every ten years following the U.S. Census, with districts apportioned to states based on their population. Each state is guaranteed at least one representative, regardless of its population size.

What is the primary role of the U.S. Congress?

The primary role of the U.S. Congress is to legislate, meaning to make, amend, and repeal laws for the United States. It also holds powers related to budgeting, declaring war, and confirming presidential appointments, among others.

The United States Coast Guard (USCG): A Unique Multi-Mission Service

The United States Coast Guard (USCG) is a distinguished branch of the United States Armed Forces, playing a vital role in maritime security, search and rescue, and law enforcement. It stands as one of the nation's eight uniformed services, recognized for its unique blend of military, multi-mission, and humanitarian capabilities.

A Multi-Mission Service with Global Reach

The USCG distinguishes itself among U.S. military branches with a dual jurisdiction that encompasses both domestic and international waters for its maritime law enforcement mission, alongside its role as a federal regulatory agency. Globally, the U.S. Coast Guard is unparalleled in its scope and capabilities, often rivaling the size and operational strength of many national navies.

At its core, the U.S. Coast Guard serves as both a humanitarian and a security service. It vigilantly protects the expansive borders of the United States and safeguards its economic and security interests, both domestically and abroad. This includes defending national sovereignty by securing vital sea lines of communication and commerce across 95,000 miles of coastline and its vast Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ), which extends 200 nautical miles from the coast. Recognizing that national and economic security are intrinsically linked to open global trade and a rules-based international order, and in response to evolving transnational threats in maritime and cyber domains, the USCG maintains a constant presence, operating on all seven continents and in cyberspace. Its missions are diverse: saving lives, enforcing maritime laws, ensuring safe and secure commerce, and protecting the marine environment.

Like its sibling service, the U.S. Navy, the Coast Guard maintains a robust global presence, deploying permanently-assigned personnel worldwide and routinely operating in both littoral (coastal) and blue-water (open ocean) regions. In an era marked by great power competition and adversarial challenges to international norms, the USCG's adaptive, multi-mission "white hull" fleet is strategically leveraged. These vessels serve as instruments of diplomatic soft power and deliver crucial humanitarian and security assistance, offering an alternative to the more overtly confrontational nature of "gray hulled" naval warships. As a humanitarian force, the Coast Guard saves tens of thousands of lives annually at sea and in U.S. waters. It also provides critical emergency response and disaster management for a wide spectrum of man-made and natural catastrophic incidents, both within the U.S. and internationally.

Operational Chains of Command and Historical Evolution

During peacetime, the U.S. Coast Guard operates under the purview of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS). However, during times of war or national emergency, the service, either in whole or in part, can be transferred to the U.S. Department of the Navy, which falls under the Department of Defense. Such a transfer can be ordered by the U.S. President or enacted by an act of Congress. Historically, the Coast Guard has seen its oversight shift: from its inception until 1967, it operated under the Department of the Treasury; from 1967 to 2003, it was part of the Department of Transportation, before moving to DHS. A congressional authority transfer to the Navy has occurred only once, in 1917, during World War I. For World War II, President Franklin Roosevelt transferred the Coast Guard to the Navy in December 1941.

The lineage of the modern U.S. Coast Guard dates back to August 4, 1790, when it was created by Congress as the Revenue-Marine at the request of the first Secretary of the Treasury, Alexander Hamilton. This makes it the oldest continuously operating naval service of the United States. Its original purpose, under Hamilton's direction, was to collect customs duties at U.S. seaports, ensuring the nascent nation's financial stability. By the 1860s, the service became widely known as the U.S. Revenue Cutter Service, with the term Revenue-Marine gradually falling out of use.

The modern U.S. Coast Guard was officially formed on January 28, 1915, through the merger of the U.S. Revenue Cutter Service and the U.S. Life-Saving Service, operating under the U.S. Department of the Treasury. Further integration occurred in 1939, when the U.S. Lighthouse Service, responsible for aids to navigation, was also merged into the USCG. As one of the nation's six armed services, the U.S. Coast Guard has played a critical role in every major U.S. conflict since its founding in 1790, from the Quasi-War with France to the Global War on Terrorism, demonstrating its enduring commitment to national defense.

Operational Scope and Resources

As of December 2021, the U.S. Coast Guard boasts an authorized force strength of approximately 44,500 active duty personnel and 7,000 reservists. Complementing this uniformed force are 8,577 full-time civilian federal employees and an impressive 31,000 uniformed volunteers of the U.S. Coast Guard Auxiliary, who support a wide range of non-military missions. The service maintains an extensive and diverse fleet, including roughly 250 coastal and ocean-going cutters, patrol ships, buoy tenders, tugs, and icebreakers. This is supplemented by nearly 2,000 small boats and specialized craft. Its aviation division is equally robust, comprising more than 200 helicopters and fixed-wing aircraft. While the U.S. Coast Guard may be the second smallest of the U.S. military service branches in terms of personnel, its operational capabilities and extensive asset inventory position it as the world's 12th largest naval force, highlighting its significant global impact.

What makes the U.S. Coast Guard unique among U.S. military branches?

The U.S. Coast Guard is unique for its dual mission set: it functions as a military branch with global reach while also possessing domestic and international maritime law enforcement authority and acting as a federal regulatory agency, often referred to as its "humanitarian" role.

Under which department does the Coast Guard operate during peacetime?

During peacetime, the U.S. Coast Guard operates under the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS).

Who founded the U.S. Coast Guard and for what original purpose?

The U.S. Coast Guard originated as the Revenue-Marine on August 4, 1790, at the request of Alexander Hamilton, then Secretary of the Treasury. Its original purpose was to collect customs duties at U.S. seaports to generate revenue for the new nation.