Crenshaw Recognizes New USCG, CBP Building in Official Congressional Record

Attends Ribbon Cutting on March 30

WASHINGTON, DC – (RealEstateRama) — Congressman Ander Crenshaw, Chairman of the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Financial Services and General Government and Member of the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Defense, joined in today’s (3/30) ribbon cutting for the new US Customs and Border Protection and US Coast Guard building in Jacksonville. In honor of the building’s dedication, he placed a formal statement in the official Congressional Record, which reads in full:

“Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize the new United States Customs and Border Protection (CBP) and United States Coast Guard (USCG) building that is being dedicated on March 30, 2016, in Florida’s Fourth Congressional District. After many years of commitment and focus by members of both services on the common goal of providing maritime safety and border protection, finally their joint operations are housed in one building. This capital improvement will deliver a safer and more secure First Coast through a more efficient and effective USCG/CBP operation.

“The road to acquiring this first-class building has been a long one. Since the creation of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) in 2003, the joint efforts of USCG and CBP personnel have been to work together to protect our ports, waterways and provide coastal security from terrorist attacks, sabotage, espionage or subversive acts. However, these agencies were never provided adequate office space for the consolidation.

“In 2007, CBP/USCG Senior Guidance recommended the construction of a new joint CBP/USCG facility in Jacksonville. The idea of a one-stop shop for maritime security and border protection would streamline and improve joint field operations while also reducing facility costs.

“Procuring this building was no easy task because local CBP and USCG had to clear the hurdle of a heavy bureaucratic process. As Chairman of the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Financial Services and General Government, I kept a close eye on the process on Capitol Hill. Thanks to the continued leadership of the local CBP/USCG offices, the goal of obtaining this facility was never abandoned.

“Now, with personnel, assets, and more importantly, strategic capabilities all headquartered in one building, the facility will serve as the cornerstone of maritime security and border protection for years to come. The center is immensely important to a community like Jacksonville, and I am honored to have played a role in acquiring it.”