Beyond the Boarder Agreement

Floor Speech

Mr. HIGGINS. Madam Speaker, today the United States and Canadian Governments will announce a Beyond the Border agreement to ease border trade and travel in this era of heightened security.

I support this goal because in western New York our future depends on integrating our economy with the booming economy of southern Ontario by expanding the Bridge Peace that connects our two communities. The Peace Bridge is the busiest passenger crossing at the northern border. Passengers using the bridge spend $133 million in western New York annually in support of our retailers, sports franchises, airports, educational and cultural institutions.

In western New York, Peace Bridge trade impacts $9.1 billion in business sales, supporting 60,000 local jobs and generating $2.6 billion in household income and $233 million in local tax revenue. All of this economic activity depends on a Peace Bridge that is free of congestion, one that is safe, reliable, and predictable.

I applaud the efforts of this agreement and call on a renewed Federal focus on the northern border, generally, and the Peace Bridge, specifically.

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