(The Center Square) – After a government report in 2019 cataloging needed repairs and improvements to the U.S. Coast Guard’s shore infrastructure, things have mostly continued to get worse, according to a fresh assessment.

The Government Accountability Office reported in 2019 that “Coast Guard data showed about 45% of the Coast Guard’s shore infrastructure was beyond its expected service life and the Coast Guard faced infrastructure project backlogs of at least $2.6 billion.” Presidents’ budget requests have repeatedly fallen short of the funding the Coast Guard has said it needs to sustain its shore infrastructure, but the service has also failed to meet the office’s best practice recommendations since 2019. The backlog has grown to approximately 49% and roughly $7 billion.