NCBFAA leads industrywide initiative to engage CBP and PGAs in event of Oct. 1 government shutdown

Taking no chances with what appears to be increasingly likely a federal government shutdown starting Oct. 1, NCBFAA is leading an effort among 40 other trade associations to develop a comprehensive strategy with Customs and Border Protection (CBP) and other Partner Government Agencies (PGAs) to ensure that legitimate trade is permitted to efficiently enter and exit our nation’s ports during a shutdown.

Specifically, the trade community requests:

• Private sector communication with the CBP “War Room.”

• PGA Presence in the CBP “War Room.”

• CBP HQ, Ports, and Centers must coordinate.

• CBP daily briefings with the private sector.

• Trade must flow both ways.

• All tangential trade functions must be considered essential.

“While we remain hopeful that a government shutdown can still be avoided, the current political environment in Washington is making us take a cautious approach,” said NCBFAA President Jose D. “JD” Gonzalez. “That is why it’s imperative for us to take action with CBP and the PGAs now in order that we can work with these agencies to keep our nation’s trade moving efficiently and securely.”

NCBFAA has already developed a special Government Shutdown webpage on its NCBFAA.org website in which timely informational updates related to trade from CBP and the PGAs for customs broker, freight forwarder and NVOCC members and their customers will be available.

“NCBFAA will keep its members informed with real-time information about what they need to know in order to perform their day-to-day business activities during the shutdown,” said NCBFAA Executive Vice President Megan Montgomery. “It’s all-hands-on-deck in our association.”