Statement of Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton on Confirmation of Ralph Basham to be Commissioner of the U.S. Customs and Border Protection
Statement of Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton on Confirmation of Ralph Basham to be Commissioner of the U.S. Customs and Border Protection
Applauds Commitment to Restore Jobs Lost on 9/11
Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton issued the following statement today on the confirmation of Ralph Basham to be the Commissioner of the U.S. Customs and Border Protection. Senator Clinton had pressed Mr. Basham for a commitment to restore jobs in Lower Manhattan, including a letter to him on March 27, which appears below.
"Today, the United States Senate confirmed Ralph Basham to be the next Commissioner of the U.S. Customs and Border Protection. After receiving a personal letter from Mr. Basham committing himself to working to restore over 200 jobs lost from Lower Manhattan following the destruction of the New York Customhouse at 6 World Trade Center, on September 11, 2001, I consented to Mr. Basham's confirmation to pass by unanimous consent. Mr. Basham's commitment to work with the General Services Administration to return these jobs back to New York is welcomed news and I appreciate his personal commitment. As I have said before, I will do whatever is necessary to help continue rebuilding Lower Manhattan and that means making sure the U.S. Customs and Border Protection officials who worked in New York City before the attacks are welcomed home. I look forward to continue working with Mr. Basham in the weeks and months ahead and congratulate him on his confirmation."
The text of Senator Clinton's March 27 letter to Mr. Basham follows:
Mr. Ralph Basham
Commissioner-Designate
United States Customs and Border Protection Room 4.4-A
1300 Pennsylvania Avenue, N.W.
Washington, D.C. 20229
Dear Mr. Basham:
The attacks of September 11, 2001, devastated Lower Manhattan by claiming over 3,000 lives and inflicting significant damage to New York's infrastructure. Since that time, my colleagues and I have worked tirelessly to try and do what is necessary to rebuild Lower Manhattan and to ensure New York continues to thrive as one of the greatest cities in the United States.
The New York Customs House, which was located a 6 World Trade Center, was one of the entities directly impacted by the 9-11 attacks. Since that time, over 750 federal employees were moved out of Lower Manhattan. We are approaching the five year anniversary of these attacks and rebuilding efforts continue. However, it is unclear whether United States Customs and Border Protection (USCBP) has intentions to return to New York City.
My office has contacted USCBP to ask for details about the plans to return employees to New York City where they served this nation before September 11, 2001. I have received no information on this issue to date. I ask that you please provide me with a detailed report on the current status of those jobs, the USCBP's plan to return to Lower Manhattan, and the timeline for these activities.
I congratulate you on your nomination to serve as the Commissioner of the United States Customs and Border Protection and look forward to working with you during the confirmation process to resolve this matter.
Sincerely yours,
Hillary Rodham Clinton
CC: Deborah Spero
Acting Commissioner
United States Customs and Border Protection
http://clinton.senate.gov/news/statements/details.cfm?id=256258&&