U.S. Rep. Joe Courtney, D-2nd District, is among a group of bipartisan lawmakers criticizing the Trump administration for a proposal to cut funding for the Coast Guard to pay for border security.

On Friday, Courtney joined 15 members of the U.S. House in sending a letter to the Office of Management and Budget and the Department of Homeland Security expressing opposition to cuts to the Coast Guard budget to offset increased funding for Immigration and Customs Enforcement operations along the southern border.

The Washington Post reported in late June that the Trump administration is considering shifting $77 million from the Coast Guard's budget to other parts of DHS. The report says that most of the money would go to ICE, which along with the Coast Guard, falls under DHS.

"Our border is only as secure as its weakest link, and efforts to strengthen and secure our land border will be undermined by actions that make our 12,000-mile maritime border more permeable. The Coast Guard is the most effective resource we have to mitigate the threats of smugglers and illicit cargo coming to the United States by sea," the lawmakers wrote.

In March 2017, draft budget documents from the Trump administration proposed cutting $1.3 billion from the Coast Guard to pay for other priorities within DHS, namely cracking down on illegal immigration. The plan was subsequently scrapped.