[Congressional Record Volume 160, Number 133 (Wednesday, September 17, 2014)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E1444-E1445]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




     RECOGNIZING THE 225TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE U.S. CUSTOMS SERVICE

                                 ______
                                 

                         HON. CANDICE S. MILLER

                              of michigan

                    in the house of representatives

                     Wednesday, September 17, 2014

  Mrs. MILLER of Michigan. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize the 
225th anniversary since the creation of the United States Customs 
Service, the oldest legacy agency consolidated into the U.S. Customs 
and Border Protection (CBP), within the Department of Homeland 
Security.
  The history of the U.S. Customs Service is in many ways the history 
of the nation. In the years after the American Revolution, our young 
Nation needed to generate funds to power its economy and rebuild its 
infrastructure. On July 31, 1789, the First United States Congress, in 
its fifth act, created the U.S. Customs Service, staffed by official 
Customs collectors. In this role, a Customs collector had the 
responsibility to supervise the collection of custom duties on imported 
goods in a particular city or region to enforce the newly passed Tariff 
Act.
  Customs collectors also oversaw the building of revenue cutters, to 
patrol our coasts, and lighthouses to guide ships to our ports, which 
was essential to the Nation's maritime security and trade activities. 
For over 100 years after its birth, before the passage of the Sixteenth 
Amendment, the tariffs collected by the Customs Service were the 
primary source of funds for the entire government, which paid for the 
nation's early growth, infrastructure and land purchases such as the 
Louisiana and Oregon territories.
  The responsibilities of the U.S. Customs Service would be reshaped 
and refocused following the attacks of 9/11. The Homeland Security Act 
of 2002 transferred the U.S. Customs Service in its entirety from the 
Department of the Treasury to the Department of Homeland Security.
  Today, CBP manages the Nation's 328 air, land, and sea ports of 
entry. CBP officers, like their predecessor Customs inspectors, serve 
on the frontlines, securing our homeland from transnational threats, 
including terrorists, terrorist weapons, drugs and other contraband, 
while simultaneously facilitating the legitimate flow travel and trade 
across our borders.
  While the responsibilities of a CBP Officer have grown since 9/11, 
Officers continue to perform essential revenue-collecting services as 
when established by the founders of the Republic, and enforce hundreds 
of immigration, agriculture, and trade laws.
  The men and women of CBP are still making history. They continue to 
fuel our Nation's economy and support American jobs by facilitating 
legitimate trade and travel while keeping our borders secure.
  On behalf of a grateful nation, I want to commend the men and women 
of the U.S. Customs and Border Protection for their many years of 
service and wish them a happy 225th anniversary.

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