Speech #1090114228

I would note the funding in my amendment is specifically for staff at ports. both here and abroad. I believe we need to make this increase in port security and staffing explicit in our budget. I would also note that the Government Accounting Officein a report on the container security initiative. which is supposedly this administrations focus on how we do the best we can as it relates to port security. and which is designed to target and inspect highrisk cargo before it leaves the ports. pointed out that staffing problemsthe GAO specifically noted that: Staffing imbalances are one of the factors which limit the Custom and Border Patrols ability to successfully target containers to determine if they are highrisk. The Government Accounting Office went on to say: As a result of staffing shortages abroad. 35 percent of U.S.-bound shipments from these CS ports were not targeted and were not subject to inspection overseas... The essence. the key goal of the CSI program. they said it wasnt accomplished. In the CustomsTrade Partnership Against Terrorism. the CTPAT Program. staffing was also a problem. Specifically. the GAO report points out that the Customs and Border Patrol is not able to validate the selfreported information of CTPAT members because of "staffing constraints." This means companies which receive less scrutiny and inspection under the CTPAT Program receive these benefits before "they undergo the validation process. which is the Custom and Border Patrols method to verify that members characterization of their security measures are accurate and that the security measures have been implemented." We also provide $600 million for the Port Security Grant Program. more than tripling last years budget. As this budget reflects no changes over the Presidents request. we can only assume there is no specific money going to port security grants. The American Association of Port Authorities notes that their recommendation to double the funds is only "a modest investment." In fact. they point out that doubling these funds would represent "36 percent of the Coast Guards projected cost of the facility improvements." I believe that falls short of the mark.