John Spratt: “I wish to express my strong support for Congressman Hoyer's amendment No. 49 to H.R. 4092 to provide extra resources for…”

“I wish to express my strong support for Congressman Hoyer's amendment No. 49 to H.R. 4092 to provide extra resources for Treasury Department law enforcement activities. The Hoyer amendment would authorize $210 million for each of fiscal year 1995-99 to fund Treasury's increased law enforcement activities. This amendment has received broad support from a variety of sources, including the Clinton administration. I believe that this enforcement money will, in the long run, more than pay for itself. For example, Customs personnel help catch importers who are evading tariff payments. If past experience is any guide, the resulting penalties and tariff should be worth many times the cost of the extra personnel. This money will also help Customs slow the import of narcotics and other contraband into our country. No one needs to be reminded of the enormous social and economic cost we pay because of easy availability of drugs on the streets of our country. The House Government Operations Committee's Subcommittee on Commerce, Consumer and Monetary Affairs, which I chair, has held hearings which confirm that existing Treasury enforcement resources, particularly for international trade enforcement, are inadequate to police the growth in trade. Furthermore, our subcommittee found that in constant dollars, Customs' total budget has remained the same since 1987 even though the total value of goods imported into the United States in that period increased by 20 percent.”