Hoyle, Wyden, Merkley and Carbajal Demand Answers from Coast Guard on Sudden Removal of Newport Rescue Helicopter
For Immediate Release: November 21, 2025
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, Congresswoman Val Hoyle (OR-04) led a letter with U.S. Senators Ron Wyden and Jeff Merkley, as well as Congressman Salud Carbajal (CA-24), the Ranking Member of the Subcommittee on Coast Guard and Maritime Transportation, demanding immediate answers from the U.S. Coast Guard regarding its decision to remove a rescue helicopter from the Newport Air Facility.
In their letter to Acting Commandant Admiral Kevin E. Lunday, the lawmakers warn that the Coast Guard’s unexplained action, “has created significant uncertainty about the future of the Newport Air Facility and the Coast Guard’s commitment to operating there.”
“We cannot compromise search-and-rescue coverage in Newport, and we need the Coast Guard to make that unequivocally clear,” the lawmakers wrote. “Without action, this decision will cost lives.”
The letter describes why Newport requires immediate, reliable rescue coverage, noting that, “Newport experiences some of the coldest, roughest water on this stretch of the coastline,” and that past tragedies proved that response times from North Bend, “could not meet the community’s needs.”
The letter raises alarm that, “the removal of the helicopter, carried out with no explanation or consultation, has only heightened concern that broader changes may already be underway,” and that the impression is growing, “that maritime safety and the lives of our fishermen, visitors and coastal residents are not a priority for the Coast Guard.”
The lawmakers stressed that federal law sets strict requirements before the Coast Guard may curtail operations at an air facility, stating that, “federal law sets clear requirements before the Coast Guard can close or significantly reduce operations…including ensuring sufficient search-and-rescue coverage, conducting public meetings and notifying Congress.”
With Dungeness crab season about to begin in mid-December, the lawmakers emphasized the urgency, writing, “those crews and their families need to know whether they can count on a timely Coast Guard response if something goes wrong.”
The letter requests immediate answers to key questions, including:
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Why the helicopter was moved and what drove that decision;
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How the Coast Guard is ensuring adequate search-and-rescue coverage for Newport;
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When the helicopter will return and how they will make that determination;
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Current estimated response times with the aircraft staged in North Bend;
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Whether broader changes to the Newport Air Facility or surrounding property are being considered and requesting information regarding any planned changes; and,
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How the Coast Guard will engage the community going forward about changes to this facility and search-and-rescue coverage.
The lawmakers emphasized that any reduction in rescue capability would be unacceptable.
“A delay of 30 to 45 minutes is the difference between a rescue and a body recovery,” they said. “Lives quite literally depend on timely answers to these questions.”
The full letter is available here.
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