Janice Hahn: “My amendment is simple. It would increase $10 million in funding to the Customs and Border Protection salaries and…”

“My amendment is simple. It would increase $10 million in funding to the Customs and Border Protection salaries and expense account and decrease funding of the National Bio and Agro- Defense Facility by S&T for $24,250,000 in order to increase the staffing of CBP agents in our Nation's airports. This amendment is intended to strengthen security and improve the American business advantage by putting more CBP agents in our airports so that they can handle the continuously growing number of travelers to this country. My own district in California is book-ended by two great economic engines of the Los Angeles region--the Port of Los Angeles at the southern end and the Los Angeles International Airport at the north. One of the common complaints I hear from LAX airport is that there are simply not enough Customs and Border Protection agents to effectively and efficiently process the amount of foreign visitors that enter this country every year. In fact, the delays at our country's airports have resulted in losing nearly $100 billion in economic output over the last 10 years. If we want to continue being a top destination for immigrants, foreign visitors, and businesspeople, we need to establish a welcoming presence to people who wish to visit this country. This means ensuring we have an efficient CBP staff that can continue to handle the growing number of people who visit this country. In a letter sent from the L.A.…”