Patrick J. Tiberi: “I thank the chairman for all his leadership on this going back years. Mr. Speaker, I introduced the Trade Facilitation…”

“I thank the chairman for all his leadership on this going back years. Mr. Speaker, I introduced the Trade Facilitation and Trade Enforcement Act in April of this year, and it is great to see that this issue is finally getting done. I would really like to thank Speaker Ryan and, again, Chairman Brady; Chairman Reichert; a special thanks to Representative Boustany for his leadership going way back as well; and Jason Smith, the Congressman from Missouri, for his incredible work to get this bill in a better place. I would also like to thank my colleagues in the Senate who helped make this a successful conference committee. This bill presents a long, long overdue opportunity. I would ask my colleagues to not let the perfect be the enemy of the good. In my home State of Ohio, one in five workers' jobs, Mr. Speaker, depends on trade. Trade drives our economy. In fact, exports from Ohio last year hit an all-time high. This bill will make it even easier for Ohio companies to trade and will increase exports, and that means increasing jobs in my State of Ohio. The U.S. Customs and Border Protection Act plays a pivotal role in helping ensure that our trade agreements, our preference programs, and our U.S. trade laws are enforced and that legitimate trade is done. Over the years, the volume and the complexity of trade and the challenges, such as combating evasion of duties and protecting U.S. intellectual property rights, have grown, and grow more complex.…”