No Weekend Trade Issues Reported Following Shutdown, Association Leaders Say; Funding Deal Expected

There were few, if any, early impacts to trade processing over the weekend following the federal government shutdown, trade association leaders said Jan. 22. Geoff Powell, president of C.H. Powell and the National Customs Brokers & Forwarders Association of America, said by email he has "not heard of any issues at this time." CBP was scheduled to provide a briefing to industry leaders on Jan. 22 regarding the shutdown while legislators continued efforts to resolve the government funding impasse through a short-term continuing resolution. Congress is expected to pass a funding bill that would end the shutdown on Jan. 22.

Meanwhile, import operations within the Food and Drug Administration would "remain operational" during the government shutdown, an agency official told the NCBFAA, that association said in a Jan. 22 email to members. "FDA Prior Notice review, entry processing, sampling/examination of high risk shipments, and compliance activities will continue," the agency said. Still, contingency plans released by the Department of Health and Human Services on Jan. 19 said the shutdown would affect some of the FDA's import-related work.

The agency would "cease safety activities such as routine establishment inspections, some compliance and enforcement activities, monitoring of imports, notification programs (e.g., food contact substances, infant formula), and the majority of the laboratory research necessary to inform public health decision-making," HHS said. At the same time, HHS said, 984 FDA staff would be exempted from furlough "to inspect regulated products and manufacturers, [conduct] sample analysis on products and review imports offered for entry into the U.S. This number includes active investigators who will be needed to perform inspections, recall operations, emergency response, review import entries and make admissibility decisions."

CBP stopped actively managing the agency's website during the shutdown, CBP said in a notice on the site. The site was last updated on Jan. 19 and "will not be updated until after funding is enacted. As such, information on this website may not be up to date. Transactions submitted via this website might not be processed and we will not be able to respond to inquiries until after appropriations are enacted." Most of CBP's employees around the country are exempt from shutdown-related furloughs (see 1801190026).