Speech #1090168873

In violation of that act. personnel dedicated to revenue collection and trade enforcement are increasingly being asked to assist with port securityrelated functions for which they are neither trained nor equipped. Since 2003. trade personnel numbers decreased by as much as 15 percent. This legislation reverses this damaging trend by requiring Customs and Border Protection to restore personnel vital to its commercial mission. At the same time. we ensure sufficient numbers of securityfocused personnel by adding uniformed officers at every one of our Nations ports. We can do both. and we need to do both. The legislation also creates an Office of International Trade within Customs and Border Protection. The new office would be headed by an Assistant Commissioner for International Trade. reporting directly to the Commissioner. This office is responsible for supervising and giving policy direction to employees before the agencys commercial and revenue functions. This structural change is designed to give voice to the concerns of commerce. It will guarantee that the concerns of commerce receive due consideration. And an International Trade Policy Committee within Customs and Border Protection will assist the Commissioner in coordinating with the Assistant Secretary for Policy. The committee will help them implement policies related to the commercial customs and trade facilitation functions within the Agency. Mr.