New London Coast Guard Museum Moves Forward With $50 Million

NEW LONDON, CT — U.S. Senator Chris Murphy (D-CT) announced Wednesday that the the fiscal year 2022 Omnibus Appropriations bill will include $50 million for the National Coast Guard Museum in New London, increasing the federal investment to a total of $70 million. Construction of the museum will begin in 2023.

“After years of plans and proposals, hopes and expectations, the Coast Guard Museum is going to be built with construction to begin next year," Murphy said in a statement. "The $50 million included in this budget, and the removal of the previous prohibition of federal funds being used for construction costs, represents a breakthrough for the Coast Guard, for New London and for southeastern Connecticut. This project will not only create hundreds of jobs and annually pump millions into the local economy, but also inspire the next generation to serve.

"The Coast Guard is the only long-standing branch of the armed services without a national museum. We owe it to the brave men and women of the Coast Guard – past, present and future – to finally make the museum a reality, and today is a tremendous step toward fulfilling that commitment.”

Wes Pulver, president of the National Coast Guard Museum Association, called the new funds a "gamechanger." He said in a statement that plans now call for groundbreaking for the museum this summer.