First Established by 2016 Cornyn Bill, Critical Program Set to Expire
WASHINGTON – U.S. Senators John Cornyn (R-TX), Martin Heinrich (D-NM), and Kyrsten Sinema (D-AZ) introduced legislation to extend the successful Donation Acceptance Program (DAP) for an additional five years.
“At a pivotal time for Ports of Entry as they modernize and invest in their infrastructure, the need for these successful partnerships to continue is imperative,” said Sen. Cornyn. “For Texas, the expiration of this program would restrict access to funding for lane operations, and disrupt construction of new lanes and inspection booths. This would translate to serious negative consequences for regional economic recovery, the ongoing global supply chain crisis, and public safety.”
“I’ve been proud to work with business and community leaders to build public-private partnerships and secure millions of dollars in federal funds to facilitate international trade at New Mexico’s ports of entry. We must remain focused on building on our recent successes, like those at the Santa Teresa port of entry, and make sure New Mexico’s vibrant border communities and growing ports of entry have the resources they need to thrive,” said Sen. Heinrich. “This bipartisan legislation will reauthorize the Donations Acceptance Program and strengthen our ports of entry. I’m proud to secure this language in the FY22 NDAA and will keep fighting for forward-looking infrastructure investments in every corner of New Mexico.”
“Allowing Arizona communities to assist and improve our ports of entry operations will help us secure the border, keep Arizona communities safe, and fuel our economy,” said Sen. Sinema.
Background:
The program allows for public-private partnerships at U.S. Ports of Entry and allows U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) to accept donations of property and technology to more efficiently secure the border and process trade. First established by Sen. Cornyn’s bipartisan Cross Border Trade Enhancement Act in 2016, this program has supported daily operations at multiple Ports of Entry.