Press Release
VIDEO: Rep. Cuellar Asks CBP Leader about World Trade Bridge
Washington,
June 13, 2017
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Victoria Glynn
In a meeting of the Homeland Security Subcommittee of Appropriations this morning, Congressman Henry Cuellar (TX-28) questioned John P. Wagner, Deputy Executive Assistant Commissioner of Customs and Border Protection (CBP), about the Department of Homeland Security’s plan to get the World Trade Bridge in Laredo, Texas back to full capacity. Congressman Cuellar asked: “On Sunday, May 21, 2017, severe weather damaged the World Trade Bridge in my home town of Laredo, Texas significantly disrupting normal cargo and trade operations at the busiest commercial crossing on the U.S.-Mexico border. Typically about 14,000 trucks cross the World Trade Bridge daily. Each day that the World Trade Bridge operates under-capacity due to this damage, it costs producers and businesses revenue and production that results in economic losses that are unacceptable. While this damage to the bridge places a strain on our nation’s trade and creates tough economic realities, it does present an opportunity to upgrade the Port and install state of the art technology and infrastructure in order to meet the trade demands of the 21st century. Mr. Wagner can you please speak to CBPs plans to bring the bridge back up to full capacity and upgrade the POE infrastructure?” Watch the video (1:19:10 – 1:27:25): https://youtu.be/pjDybSnHlWo?t=1h19m10s Mr. Wagner promised to follow up with Congressman Cuellar with additional information on the subject. The questions came during the Subcommittee’s hearing on the ICE/CBP FY18 Budget Request. The other witnesses were Thomas D. Homan, Acting Director of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), and Carla L. Provost, Acting Chief of the United States Border Patrol.
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