[Congressional Record Volume 152, Number 70 (Tuesday, June 6, 2006)]
[Senate]
[Page S5485]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                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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