Daines, CBP Nominee Scott Discuss Need to Secure Northern Border
U.S. SENATE – U.S. Senator Steve Daines today spoke with President Trump’s nominee to lead the U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP), Rodney Scott, about the urgent need to secure the northern border.
Watch the full exchange HERE.
Daines: Chief Scott, welcome. It’s good to see you again. And I don’t say this lightly, but you are an outstanding nominee for this position, uniquely qualified and thank you for stepping up for this very important role. I enjoyed our visit. You’ve got the right experience. You’ve got the right background. You bring subject matter expertise and not only a great mind, but just gut sense here to the job which is so important to be successful. I look forward to supporting your nomination, I look forward to having you out in Montana as well. We’ll talk for a minute about, as we got to look north as well as south, but we’ll talk to the northern border in a minute. But I’m just thrilled in the first 100 days, probably one of the biggest success stories of this administration has been what’s happened in securing our southern border. And it truly was not just about more policies, it was about the right president, the right leadership, and sure enough, we got that with President Trump. As I’ve engaged with our law enforcement back Montana, in my hometown, in fact, of Bozeman, where I grew up, went to kindergarten through college there. You know, we had TDA gang members there in Bozeman. Some of the most violent, vile illegals in our country. And it’s remarkable, as I quietly chatted with law enforcement, they’re on the ground, trying to protect our communities and doing a great job, they told me they weren’t getting virtually any response from ICE under the Biden administration. That wasn’t the fault of ICE. It was the fault of the leadership because the organization will flex the way the leadership is flexing. And as soon as the election happened, as soon as President Trump was sworn in, it was just within 30 days those ICE agents swarmed and got those TDA guys apprehended and deported from our country. That directly affects my hometown of Bozeman. And I’m grateful the same thing has happened in Kalispell, the northwest part of our state. As you know, human traffickers and cartels will take the path of least resistance. With the vast Northern border, it presents unique challenges with federal resource and personnel stretched thin. And I associate myself with the Senator Tillis’s comments, spending nights on ride-alongs with border patrol on the southern border several times. And seeing as you mentioned, within the first 11 days of the 2023-24 fiscal year, the border police showed me the number of countries they made apprehensions from in the first 11 days. It was a jaw-dropping list of about 50 to 75 different countries in the first 11 days of the fiscal year. Just a reminder, it’s not just a Mexico issue, as you stated… Chief Scott, would you agree that there’s a need for more personnel, more equipment and resources on our Northern border as well?
Scott: Yes, I would.
Daines: I want to shift gears and talk about the important North-South trade that we have with Canada. CBP agents play a critical role in facilitating that commerce going back and forth inspections, cargo classifications, duty collections. President Trump has made it clear he’s willing to use every tool available to bring our trading partners to the negotiating table to secure better trading terms for American producers and manufacturers. While these negotiations occur, as we speak, it’s critical that importers receive clear and accurate guidance from CBP on the status and classification of their goods in order to reduce uncertainty. There’s a lot of farmers and ranchers in Montana. Our number one trading partner is Canada. Fertilizer imports and heavy machinery that come from Canada are crucial for their operation, particularly this season of planting season. You know, we’ve got these narrow windows in Montana, planting season this time of year, of course harvest coming up, late summer and fall. With spring planting season now well in gear, time spent at these ports, spent sorting through complexities or the delays in shipping will put more stress on our producers. Well I got to tell you, if you look at barley and wheat prices right now, there’s enough stress on a good day at the ports, not to mention the stress of the ports. My question is, will you commit to offering clear and timely guidance for Montana importers to ensure compliance and the fastest resolution regarding some of these cross-border trade issues?
Scott: If confirmed, I will.
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Contact: Matt Lloyd, Gabby Wiggins