We are all bracing to see if the Federal Government will shut down as scheduled on midnight on Saturday, December 22nd.

In the event it does, U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) has measures in place to ensure appropriate work flow and staffing.  Here’s what we know:

  • CBP Management and Leadership will be available to ensure cargo continues to move as efficiently as possible. Customer service representatives and client technicians will not be available, but would be called back to work should any significant issues with the Automated Commercial Environment (ACE) arise.
  • CBP Field Operations will be normally staffed, with CBP stating, “there will be no interruptions to conveyance, clearance and cargo release.”
  • Centers of Excellence and Expertise (CEE) will operate normally and will continue to handle drawback and liquidations.
  • Two Participating Government Agencies (PGAs) will be rendered inoperable. Jobs performed by these PGAs will fall under CBP’s jurisdiction and CBP will use their discretion to keep cargo moving as efficiently as possible. All PGAs, aside from the following, would continue to operate under normal conditions:
    • Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC): Port technicians would be furloughed; CPSC targeting would be halted and shipments that had been targeted but not yet received an examination would be released.
    • National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA):  All workers will be furloughed and will not be available to release shipments.
  • The federal holidays on Monday and Tuesday of next week will still be observed, so operations and staffing should reflect those normally seen during holiday hours.

Shapiro will continue to monitor the situation and provide updates as they become available.