W. Ralph Basham, Commissioner of Customs

W. RALPH BASHAM, COMMISSIONER OF CUSTOMS

Mr. GRASSLEY. Mr. President, today President George W. Bush witnessed the swearing-in of W. Ralph Basham to serve as Commissioner of Customs in the Department of Homeland Security. Mr. Basham's nomination was favorably reported out of the Finance Committee on May 18, 2006, and he was confirmed by the Senate on May 26, 2006.

The President nominated an outstanding individual to be Commissioner of Customs. Ralph Basham has served as Director of the Secret Service and is a 29-year veteran of the Secret Service. He has also served as chief of staff for the Transportation Security Administration and as director of the Law Enforcement Training Center in Glynco, GA. His demonstrated commitment to public service is admirable. And the breadth of his experiences will be an important asset as he assumes his new responsibilities.

The Commissioner of Customs serves in a critical and demanding role. The Commissioner of Customs must ensure that the dual demands of securing our borders and facilitating the smooth flow of international trade are each fully met. As part of his confirmation process Mr. Basham appeared before the Finance Committee, which I chair. During his hearing, I was impressed with Mr. Basham's appreciation of the importance of maintaining an appropriate balance in meeting those dual demands.

More broadly, the Commissioner of Customs heads a bureau of over 40,000 employees. Those Government employees are on the front line for enforcing laws related to over 40 agencies. At the same time, they process $1.7 trillion worth of imports and collect about $28 dollars in duties and fees. This trade is critical to our economy. For example, the 10-day strike at the port of Long Beach a few years ago is estimated to have cost our economy between $1 billion to $2 billion each day. That illustrates why maintaining an appropriate balance between trade security and trade facilitation is so important.

As chairman of the Committee on Finance, with jurisdiction over customs and international trade, I look forward to working with Mr. Basham to advance a robust customs and trade agenda now that he's taken over as Commissioner of Customs.

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