H.R. 4209 would require Customs and Border Protection (CBP) in the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to develop a strategic plan for identifying and remediating cross-border tunnels into the United States within 180 days of the act’s enactment. The plan would include ways of using technology and sharing information to identify and block tunnels as well as an assessment of staffing needs. The act would require CBP to submit a report on implementation to the Congress one year after the development of the plan.
H.R. 4209 would authorize the appropriation of $1 million for each of fiscal years 2023 and 2024 for CBP to develop the strategic plan and carry out tunnel remediation operations. Using historical patterns of spending for similar programs and assuming appropriation of the authorized amounts, CBO estimates CBP would spend $2 million over the 2023-2027 period to implement the act.
H.R. 4209 contains no intergovernmental or private-sector mandates as defined in the Unfunded Mandates Reform Act and would not affect the budgets of state, local, or tribal governments.
