The Border The Border Trade Alliance, an organization of private and public sector members supporting policies that promote free and secure cross-border trade, congratulates President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris on their inauguration.
BTA President Ms. Britton Mullen and BTA Chair Sergio Contreras look forward to working with the new administration to expand trade and lower regulatory barriers while ensuring border security remains strong.
Ms. Mullen says the BTA looks forward to working with Biden officials to find solutions to border-specific challenges resulting from the pandemic.
“The pandemic has taken a major toll on border communities north and south,” Ms. Mullen said. “The BTA is a ready and willing partner as we seek to responsibly ease border travel restrictions that have devastated border community economies while also slowing the spread of Covid-19. We are hopeful that Department of Homeland Security secretary nominee Alejandro Mayorkas will soon be confirmed to his position by the U.S. Senate and that DHS and stakeholders can develop a plan for a safe resumption of travel and commerce.”
“For more than three decades the BTA has worked with administrations of both parties to promote an agenda that seeks to expand trade through lower tariffs, well-resourced inspection agencies, and modern infrastructure,” Contreras said. “The BTA looks forward to working with President Biden and his entire administration to achieve the promise of USMCA, forge closer ties with our neighbors and partners Canada and Mexico, pass an infrastructure package that will reduce congestion and enhance the nation’s logistics network, and grow the economy through expanded trade.”
Other priorities the BTA will work with the Biden administration on include the previous administration’s efforts to curb fresh produce imports from Canada and Mexico, which the BTA strongly opposes, ensuring products manufactured in U.S. Foreign Trade Zones receive duty-free treatment under USMCA, and enhancing and reauthorizing the Donation Acceptance Program, which allows local government and private sector stakeholders to partner with the federal government to improve trade-facilitating infrastructure in and around ports of entry.
