U.S. Rep. Kevin Yoder (R-KS), chairman of the U.S. House Appropriations Homeland Security Subcommittee, stressed the economic magnitude of U.S.-Mexico trade, as well as the U.S. Department of Homeland Security’s (DHS) role in protecting commerce between the two countries, during a recent trip to meet with American and Mexican government officials in Mexico City.
“A healthy trade relationship between the United States and Mexico is crucial for our respective economies, as well as for the economy of my home state of Kansas,” said Rep. Yoder during his late-August trip.
“In 2017, Mexico was Kansas’s second-largest export market, with Kansas exporting $1.88 billion in goods to Mexico,” the congressman posted Sept. 5 on Facebook. Kansas exports include soybeans, wheat, corn, civilian aircraft, engines, beef, pork, basic chemicals, grain, and oilseed milling products, according to Yoder’s staff.
The lawmaker’s trip came a few days before a preliminary agreement was reached between the United States and Mexico to update the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA). The Trump Administration continues NAFTA negotiations with its other trade partner, Canada.
In his homeland security subcommittee position, Rep. Yoder said he understands the role DHS agencies play in guaranteeing that U.S.-Mexico trade moves safely and efficiently.
Rep. Yoder posted online this week that he traveled to Mexico City to attend the Border Trade Alliance (BTA) annual conference, entitled Building a Competitive U.S.-Mexico Border. He participated in a roundtable discussion and received U.S. State Department briefings on security and trade issues, according to his office.
“My briefings from the State Department and my conversations at the BTA roundtable helped me get a better picture of the benefits and challenges that currently surround our trade and border security situation,” said the congressman.
Rep. Yoder was joined by U.S. Reps. Henry Cuellar (D-TX), Filemón Vela (D-TX), and U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) Commissioner Kevin McAleenan during the BTA roundtable with members of the U.S.-Mexico cross-border trade community. The officials considered how to ensure security at U.S. ports of entry, as well as cross-border infrastructure improvements.
“A key component in keeping our trade routes secure is the work done by the men and women of CBP,” Rep. Yoder noted. “Every day, they ensure that goods traveling into our country from Mexico are safe, while also working efficiently to ensure that trade can flow quickly to its destinations.”
Proposed fiscal year 2019 funding for homeland security, currently under conference committee debate in Washington, includes federal monies to hire some 500 new CBP officers and more than $300 million for non-intrusive inspection equipment, among other devices, to hasten the border inspection process, according to Yoder.
“While CBP has struggled in the past few years to retain and hire new officers, I believe they are making improvements, and I stand ready to help them with any barriers that remain to retain and hire officers and agents,” Rep. Yoder said. “These additional CBP agents will also reduce opioid drug smuggling across our border and continue in our efforts to stop the opioid crisis and to save lives.”
The congressional lawmaker also said he was encouraged that recent NAFTA negotiations between the two countries included an agreement on the cargo pre-inspection program that would expand Unified Cargo Processing’s presence at seven ports of entry to more than a dozen locations.
“During the BTA roundtable, I discussed these developments, and how they will promote further cooperation and information sharing to enable our countries to handle legitimate and safe shipments quickly while addressing those that pose risk,” he said. “It is my hope that our two nations can continue to build on these agreements and further facilitate efficient trade.”