Lankford Gives CBP Ability to Repair Southern Border Ports

WASHINGTON, DC – Senator James Lankford (R-OK), lead Republican on the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Subcommittee on Government Operations and Border Management, introduced a bill to give the Commissioner of Customs and Border Protection (CBP) the authority to repair ports at the southern border. The bill cuts red tape by allowing CBP to repair these ports without involving the General Services Administration (GSA), unless the project is valued at more than $300,000. The GSA serves as the federal government’s landlord and buildings superintendent. Removing them from low-cost projects at CBP would help streamline the process for repairs and updates at facilities along the southern border and allows GSA to focus on larger projects.

“All of us have had a landlord who didn’t prioritize our quick small repair over our neighbors’ and it took a while for them to address it. That’s what CBP is facing,” said Lankford. “We need to remove some of the bureaucratic red tape that prevents CBP from making relatively small repairs at port facilities, which will help them increase security and better manage trade. This is something they’ve asked me to look into and address legislatively. It is a small, simple way to address one of the hurdles our CBP officers face to ensure they have what they need to stay safe and to keep all of us secure.”

Lankford continues to lead the Senate in standing up for our law enforcement at the southern border and ensuring they have what they need to keep us safe. Lankford participated in a Homeland Security Committee hearing last November to question witnesses from CBP and GSA to help highlight some of CBP’s needs that should be addressed in order to promote border security and ensure law enforcement have the proper facilities to do their jobs.  

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