US Coast Guard releases $1 billion wish list

WASHINGTON — The Coast Guard has given members of Congress a nearly $1 billion wish list of spending proposals that were not included in President Bush’s 2006 budget, including more than $637 million to upgrade deteriorating ships and helicopters. The two-page list represents the first time the Coast Guard has been free to provide Congress with a list of priorities not funded in Bush’s request for $6.9 billion for the guard.