CBP chief says funding support remains strong

   National concern about the size of the federal debt is putting pressure on the federal budget and agencies across the government, but U.S. Customs and Border Protection is likely to escape funding cuts because of its important mission protecting national and economic security, Commissioner Alan Bersin said Friday.
    “Congress is committed to maintaining the support at CBP that has been built up over the last 10 years,” Bersin told reporters after participating in a discussion at the Woodrow Wilson International Center about the agency’s evolution since the 9/11 attacks.
CBP has grown into a $11.5 billion organization, with almost 22,000 Border Patrol agents and 22,000 Customs officers responsible for managing trade and travel through air, sea and land ports of entry.
  The Department of Homeland Security has requested an additional $300 million for CBP in fiscal year 2012.
  Bersin said it is even possible for future CBP appropriations to grow, but that additional resources for upgrading personnel, technology and infrastructure primarily will come from operational savings as the agency overhauls its activities to become more efficient.
    “So, yes, I believe there is a national commitment both within the Congress and among the American people to continue to secure the borders,” he said.
    The force level, systems and assets in place are sufficient to allow the agency to increase responsibilities without significant additional growth, especially as it re-engineers the way it does business to make those resources go farther, he stated.
    “We still have an enormous job in terms of mission integration” that can create efficiencies and allow money to be reinvested in CBP’s border security and trade management missions, Bersin said during the regular program.
    Consolidating trusted traveler programs is one example of the restructuring underway. CBP is in the process of merging:
    • Global Entry, designed for international travelers at airports.
    • SENTRI, an expedited clearance program for pre-approved travelers on the southern border.
    • NEXUS, a similar program for those crossing the northern border.
    • FAST, a program that allows expedited release for commercial truck drivers hauling qualified goods.
    Each program requires applicants to pay a fee for a background check, interview and photo identification card containing an electronic chip that provides personal data to Customs when going through a dedicated kiosk or booth.
    Another level of integration that has been talked about, but not acted on so far, would be to combine FAST with the Transportation Worker Identification Card program, which requires similar types of personnel screening of workers in ports, but is managed by other Department of Homeland Security agencies.
    CBP’s budget may be tight, “but I don’t think it means we won’t be able to make investments in our people, or technology,” Bersin said. — Eric Kulisch