Update - CBP Revenue Division Activities
Through our participation with the International Trade Surety Association (ITSA), IB&M has been made aware of the below message released by CBP regarding the Revenue Division operations during a government scale back of operations. It would be prudent to advise your continuous bond clients to expect some delays in the processing of new continuous bonds, riders, and terminations as a result of limited staff. We will keep you posted of any further updates as they become available.
Revenue Division:
- Exempt Functions. The guidance provided below regarding U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) Revenue Division functions is intended to reaffirm the continuance of only those functions which are required for exempt activities. Agency managers responsible for the business and support activities necessary for the continuance of exempted activities must take the following actions:
- Retain only the minimum required personnel to accommodate continuous bond processing necessary to support Trade operations;
- Retain only the minimum required personnel to accommodate revenue collection activities;
- Retain only the minimum required personnel to support CBP Port of Entry collection operations;
- Ensure that only the minimum amount of recordkeeping is conducted to document the expenditure of funds;
- Acquire only the minimum amount of supplies necessary for continued critical operations;
- Secure all property and data not used for critical activities in a manner that protects the assets and ensures sensitive Trade data is protected;
- Non-Exempt Functions. Activities and personnel whose absence would not cause an unacceptable interruption in the execution of exempted functions outlined by DHS HQ include:
- Refund processing and special disbursement programs;
- Financial reconciliation and reporting;
- Requests from the Trade Community, such as FOIA and Master File Extracts;
- Issuance, maintenance, and audits of Serially Numbered Forms;
- Project planning and execution for new revenue programs;
- Recordkeeping not necessary to document the expenditure of funds and disposition of assets;
- Contractor support not necessary to maintain a minimal operational capacity to support bond processing and transponder issuance to the Trade Community
Please see the following for additional information