On October 8, 1847, the Assistant Secretary of the Treasury informed his commanders that the service was low on funds. The expenses of operating in Mexico had reduced funds to a new low. The service needed to cut back on new ships and retire those too expensive to keep running. The USRCS was reduced to eight cutters. By 1849, six new cutters had been ordered but between the Chesapeake Bay and the Gulf of Florida, there were only two cutters. One more served in the Gulf of Mexico. Two of the new cutters, when they became available, would serve in the Atlantic while four would serve on the West Coast.