I am here today on behalf of the BTA to urge Congress to continue to adequately fund ACS while the question of its replacement is debated and decided. Brown-outs have already occurred on several occasions. Delays in the release of shipments have already exploded from seconds to minutes and now often to hours and, on occasion, even days. The impact of extended delays can be catastrophic. Others have sufficient inventory for the equivalent of a half to a full day's production.
Smaller companies have it more difficult.
If they are not able to receive product in a timely fashion, they do not have the resources to obtain replacement goods. They simply lose their orders. Customs is simply not set up to timely process paperwork in a manual environment and neither is the trade. The BTA is a supporter of the Coalition for Customs Automation Funding. We agree with other Coalition members that funding for Customs' automation efforts should be accomplished from appropriated funds.