Letter to Mr. Paul Prouty, Acting GSA Administrator, U.S. General Services Administration
Letter
Letter to Mr. Paul Prouty, Acting GSA Administrator, U.S. General Services Administration
Sen. Cornyn Seeks Funding For Texas Ports In Letter To Obama Administration
Says it's essential that we fully resource these ports in order to facilitate legal, efficient trade with our neighbors
U.S. Sen. John Cornyn, R-Texas, today sent a letter to Acting GSA Administrator Paul Prouty requesting the agency allocate a portion of the $300 million it recently received through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act to Texas land ports of entry. It was recently announced that none of the large Texas ports received funding for needed upgrades and improvements, and Sen. Cornyn is working to ensure Texas is treated fairly and receives the necessary resources so its ports can operate at capacity, and facilitate legal, efficient trade with our neighbors.
--The full text of Sen. Cornyn's letter is below--
Mr. Paul Prouty
Acting GSA Administrator
U.S. General Services Administration
1800 F Street, NW
Washington, D.C. 20405
Dear Acting Administrator Prouty:
I am writing to express my disappointment regarding the lack of funding from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (ARRA) being allocated to United States ports of entry located in Texas. None of the large Texas ports received funds for upgrades and improvements.
Texas ports on the border with Mexico are some of the busiest in the world. It is essential that we fully resource these ports in order to facilitate legal, efficient trade with our neighbors. Texas must receive funding to upgrade and modernize its land ports of entry due to the dramatic increases in trade with Mexico and increased security measures being implemented by the Obama administration, which calls for 100% south-bound inspections.
According to the Bureau of Transportation Statistics, Texas led all states in surface trade with Mexico in 2008, with $94.1 billion in goods exchanged. Additionally, in 2008, 30% of all U.S. international truck traffic moved through Texas's ports of entry, making them the busiest in the nation. This is why it is imperative that Texas ports receive ARRA funding to improve their infrastructure and expand their capacity.
I request that you allocate a portion of the $300 million in ARRA funding to our Texas ports of entry. In addition, please provide justifications for your decisions on ARRA funding for port of entry projects, as well as an explanation of GSA's evaluation process. Thank you for your prompt attention to this matter.
Sincerely,
JOHN CORNYN
United States Senator
Source