Sheila Jackson Lee: “I yield myself such time as I may consume. I rise in strong support of H.R. 3846, the United States Customs and Border…”

“I yield myself such time as I may consume. I rise in strong support of H.R. 3846, the United States Customs and Border Protection Authorization Act. Mr. Speaker, I am a proud original cosponsor of the bill sponsored by my subcommittee chairman, the gentlewoman from Michigan (Mrs. Miller). We are working throughout this Congress in a bipartisan manner, and it seems that our particular subcommittee has been particularly energized by a number of issues that have come to the attention of the American people. This is an authorization bill that is long overdue. U.S. Customs and Border Protection is among the largest and most significant of the Department of Homeland Security's components. CBP is charged with ensuring the security of America's borders while facilitating legitimate trade and travel. I want to take a moment, Mr. Speaker, to just offer my appreciation for the hardworking men and women that come under CBP. They are on the border. They are on the northern and southern borders. They are in our ports, both airports and seaports, and so I think it is appropriate for us to take a moment and express our appreciation. Might I also, just as another aside, express my appreciation for the transportation security work of the TSOs. As we were working on their issues, we lost one of our very brave agents in the last year. All of them should be appreciated.…”