DHS Asks for ACE Funding

Immigration issues dominated an appropriations hearing for the Department of Homeland Security, but DHS Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen said she also wanted to touch quickly on trade. More money is needed to "keep foreign adversaries from stealing our intellectual property" and to enforce trade laws, she said. In prepared testimony that she did not read during the hearing, she said the president's budget "includes funding to enhance the Automated Commercial Environment and to put more attention on high-risk imports while facilitating smaller, legitimate shipments more quickly. The request also includes funding for additional attorneys, trade specialists, and financial specialists to provide adequate support for trade facilitation and enforcement activities."

Sen. Jon Tester, D-Mont., ranking member of the Appropriations Subcommittee on Homeland Security, noted that the administration's request is $289 million below current spending levels. He questioned why most of the department spending outside border security and enforcement is slated for cuts.