Description: David Boeri reports that Senator Edward Kennedy took a cruise on a Coast Guard boat to Little Brewster Island in Boston Harbor. Little Brewster Island is the site of a lighthouse that was repaired with funds procured by Kennedy from the federal government. Funding for the Coast Guard has been cut by the federal government, resulting in closed facilities and fewer patrols. Interview with Robert Johanson, Rear Admiral of the US Coast Guard, about the budget cuts. Kennedy and Jesse Jackson have called for a restoration of funds to the Coast Guard. Coast Guard patrols can stem the flow of drugs into the US. Jackson talks about the Coast Guard. Kennedy on Little Brewster Island.
1:00:10: Visual: Footage of Edward Kennedy (US Senator) shaking hands with a Coast Guard officer on board a boat. Shot of a Coast Guard boat cruising in Boston Harbor. Shot of Kennedy with a cigar, walking toward the lighthouse on Little Brewster Island. Shots of the lighthouse. Shots of the Boston skyline from Little Brewster Island. David Boeri reports that Kennedy took a boat cruise with a crew of Coast Guard officers and reporters; that Kennedy was trying to draw attention to his legislative record on Boston Harbor; that the boat brought Kennedy to visit the lighthouse on Little Brewster Island in Boston Harbor. Boeri notes that the lighthouse was repaired with funds from an amendment that Kennedy tacked on to an appropriations bill two years ago. Boeri notes that the the lighthouse marks the entrance to Boston harbor; that the lighthouse is still operational. Boeri adds that other lighthouses have been closed recently. V: Footage of Kennedy on Little Brewster Island. Kennedy says that light stations have been closed for budgetary reasons; that reduced services are the result of budget-tightening measures. Boeri reports from Little Brewster Island. The lighthouse is visible behind him. Boeri reports that Ronald Reagan (US President) and the Congress made cuts in the Coast Guard budget in 1988; that the Coast Guard has closed facilities. Boeri adds that the Coast Guard is running fewer patrols as a result of cuts in the budget for fuels, parts, and maintenance. Boeri reports that search and rescue patrols and fisheries enforcement patrols have been eliminated. V: Shot of a Coast Guard boat in Boston Harbor. Footage of Robert Johanson (Rear Admiral, US Coast Guard) saying that the Coast Guard has cut back on law enforcement patrols; that an increase in drug trafficking could be the result. Shot of a Coast Guard officer driving a boat. Boeri reports that the cuts in law enforcement patrols have provoked some to call for a restoration of money to the Coast Guard budget. V: Footage of Jesse Jackson from October 5, 1987. Jackson says that the Coast Guard needs to be stronger; that the Coast Guard can prevent the flow of drugs to the US. Footage of Kennedy on Little Brewster Island. Kennedy calls for a restoration of money to the Coast Guard budget. Boeri reports that Kennedy has called for Congress to transfer an additional $60 million to the Coast Guard budget. Shot of the Boston skyline from Little Brewster Island.
Collection: Ten O'Clock News
Date Created: 05/04/1988