Congressman Henry Cuellar (D-TX-28) today congratulated Senator John Cornyn on Senate passage of the Cross-Border Trade Enhancement Act, a bill that he and Sen. John Cornyn (R-TX) introduced in February 2015. Yesterday, the bill passed the U.S. Senate by unanimous consent. The bipartisan, bicameral legislation will give U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) and the General Services Administration (GSA) the authority to enter into innovative partnerships with local governments and private sector entities to boost staffing, make infrastructure improvements and speed up the flow of traffic at U.S. ports of entry without adding to the national deficit.
This legislation is based on input from border community leaders and is endorsed by: the United States Hispanic Chamber of Commerce; Border Trade Alliance; Texas Border Coalition; Rio Grande Valley Partnership; Cameron County; City of Eagle Pass; City of Mission; City of McAllen; City of Harlingen; City of Pharr; Anzalduas International Bridge; McAllen-Hidalgo International Bridge; Pharr International Bridge; and the Starr-Camargo International Bridge Company.
The bill will now need to be passed by the House of Representatives before being sent to the President.
“My district includes the largest inland port in the country,” said Congressman Cuellar. “Every day, billions of dollars’ worth of goods cross the Texas-Mexico border. South Texas is a world leader in trade, and with this bill we will be able to increase the efficiency and amount of trade passing through our ports of entry. I thank Sen. Cornyn for his help in writing this bill and congratulate him on ushering it through the Senate. I continue to urge House leadership to bring this up for a vote before year’s end and help to make it law.”
