America's Small Business Tax Relief Act of 2015--Motion to Proceed

Floor Speech

BREAK IN TRANSCRIPT

Mr. WARNER. Mr. President, I rise today to call attention to the significant contributions public servants make to our Nation every day.

Since 2010, I have tried to come to the Senate floor on a fairly regular basis to recognize exemplary Federal employees. This is a tradition started by my friend Senator Ted Kaufman from Delaware when he was here for a few years--somebody who, as much as anybody in this body, having served as a staff member for so long, recognized the enormous value that people who work for our Federal Government provide to our national purpose and to making sure we get things done.

Earlier this week, I met with some of these outstanding public servants. Convened under the umbrella of the Performance Improvement Council, I had a discussion with individuals participating in the Leaders Delivery Network and the White House Leadership Development Program fellowships. These senior administration officials, who are working--oftentimes in obscurity--to improve government performance, come together on a regular basis to collaborate and share best practices.

Oftentimes on this floor, we talk about costs and budget issues. One challenge I think we don't spend enough time on is oversight. The fact is, there are many folks within the Federal Government who are focusing on improving government performance and making sure that we at the end of that also save resources.

In the spirit of the work of the PIC, with which I met earlier this week, I am pleased to honor one exceptional Federal employee today who happens to be a Virginian--John Wagner.

As Deputy Assistant Commissioner of U.S. Customs and Border Protection, Mr. Wagner conceived, developed, and implemented two groundbreaking programs that overhauled the way American citizens and a growing number of foreign travelers enter the United States.

At the time, CBP was facing the need for heightened security-- obviously, something that continues--while contending with an increase in the number of international travelers, which resulted in long wait times for arriving passengers, a surge in missed flight connections, and strained personnel capacity.

Mr. Wagner's innovative solutions to making our century-old process work more effectively and efficiently are now familiar to millions of travelers worldwide: the Global Entry Trusted Traveler Program and the kiosk-based Automated Passport Control Program.

As somebody who participates in the Global Entry Trusted Traveler Program, it has obviously sped my transit through many international airports. Global Entry saves travelers time and ensures a high level of security by employing a screening process that includes background checks, personal interviews, and fingerprinting. Approved travelers then bypass the regular immigration control lanes and proceed to the automated, biometrics-based, self-service kiosks that validate passports, verify fingerprints, and perform database queries. This back-end security allows approved travelers to quickly clear through Customs without the need for an interview with a Customs officer. Global Entry is now offered at 48 U.S. airports, including Dulles International Airport in my State of Virginia.

In addition to streamlining the international arrivals process, the program has resulted in saving over 287,000 working hours and reducing the average wait time for members 84 percent when compared to travelers not enrolled in the program.

Mr. Wagner's other brainchild has shown similar results. The kiosk- based Automated Passport Control Program automates the entry processes for those with U.S. passports and travelers from a number of foreign countries. This automation allows CBP officers to focus solely on questioning the individual and observing his or her behavioral responses, rather than getting bogged down with administrative procedures. The automated kiosks have resulted in decreases in average wait times for travelers and efficiencies in allocating human resources.

Mr. Wagner described his work best, saying that ``it has contributed to the national security of the country, helped promote travel and tourism that benefits the economy, and delivered a public service that has been well received.''

I hope my colleagues will join me in thanking Mr. Wagner and government employees at all levels for their willingness to shake up the status quo and their commitment to providing exceptional service to Americans across the country.

Today the Presiding Officer and I were at a budget hearing where, as former business members, we sometimes feel like our heads will explode in terms of our ability to get an appropriate audit of Federal spending and Federal programs. We talked about different processes, like the DATA Act, where we try to get more transparency. We have to do all this, but we also have to recognize and celebrate Federal employees who, at the work level, are coming up with great innovative programs, such as Mr. Wagner has done.

So while we may disagree on many items in terms of how we get to ultimate policy issues--the Presiding Officer has had a very successful career in business--we know, as former businesspersons, that oftentimes some of the best ideas come from the workforce, and we need to do more to celebrate individuals like Mr. Wagner who come forth with good ideas that have been implemented on a cost-effective basis and that save time, save money, and increase national security.

BREAK IN TRANSCRIPT

Source