An amendment sponsored by U.S. Rep. Kelly Armstrong (R-ND) to the Homeland Security Appropriations Act for fiscal year 2025 that would return certain northern border ports of entry back to their pre-pandemic operating schedule on June 28 passed the U.S. House of Representatives.
Rep. Armstrong’s Amendment #1 to H.R. 8752 also would prevent U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) from using any resources to reduce those hours again, according to a bill summary provided by his staff.
“Since the onset of the COVID pandemic, CBP reduced the hours of many of the ports of entry to mitigate the spread of the virus,” Rep. Armstrong said. “Though the pandemic has long been over, those shortened hours have stayed in place.”
The congressman said that returning the hours of operation for the ports of entry back to their pre-pandemic schedule would “help our border patrol respond to a massive increase in border encounters and non-marijuana drug seizures in North Dakota, Idaho, Minnesota, and Western New York.”
The revised schedule also would alleviate some of the Biden administration’s border pressures on CBP agents, he said.
H.R. 8752 now heads to the U.S. Senate for action.
“I urge my colleagues in the Senate to swiftly take up the Homeland Security Appropriations bill and pass similar language,” said Rep. Armstrong.