Trump Could Shift CBP's Policy Goals, But Trade Focus Likely to Continue, CBP's Smith Says

MIAMI -- Any increased focus on business priorities under the upcoming Trump administration won’t be anything new and different for CBP, said Brenda Smith, CBP’s executive assistant commissioner for trade, at the Florida Customs Brokers & Forwarders Conference of the Americas on Nov. 15. The “significant change” in administrations coming this January will mean CBP will have a “new set of folks to work with” and a “new set of policy goals,” after having gotten used to the people and policy goals of the Obama administration, Smith said. Nonetheless, the new administration will likely recognize the importance of trade, given that trade was “one of the critical issues” of Trump’s campaign, she said. While Trump may bring a different perspective on the relationship between government and business, CBP is comfortable taking advice from the private sector on how government needs to interact with business to work toward a more competitive economy, Smith said.