Budget Constraints an Early Theme at CBP Industry Day

A difficult budget environment for U.S. Customs and Border Protection was the early theme for CBP's Industry Day May 22, despite expectations for increased travel and trade. The days of the Department of Homeland Security budget growing 7.5 percent per year are over, said keynoter Rafael Borras, under secretary for management at DHS.

DHS and CBP deserve the best tools the market can bear, but huge amounts of time and money aren't available, he said. The agency needs to be careful and thoughtful about what it buys and needs, he said. Borras urged government employees to pay attention to the marketplace and consider the costs when asking for things that don't already exist within the marketplace, he said. While industry will likely be able to deal with such requests, it comes at a cost, he said.

There's been somewhat of a mission change for CBP, said Kevin McAleenan, acting assistant commissioner in the CBP Office of Field Operations. The new focus is the targeting of risk before it boards, whether as a traveler or as cargo, he said. McAleenan was on the first panel of the industry day, which was largely focused on border security. There's an imperative to transform business processes as volume increases and CBP is engaged now in a cycle of innovation, he said. Just about everything will be automated in the near future, he said. McAleenan pointed to C-TPAT as among CBP recent highlights, noting that last year some 55 percent of goods by value were brought in through a trusted partner.

The agenda for the industry day is (here).