Mr. Chairman, if I might jump in for a moment on the politics of border policy, it's important to remember that the President and this Congress were elected on a “build the wall” chant that continues at every rally and every turn. I agree completely that it's enormously important for our border to work well for legitimate commerce and to be secure against threats.
I would just caution on the use of vocabulary. I've been saying this for many years, and apparently to no avail. When Canadians say “border thickening” to each other, people understand that's a bad thing. To American ears and to an administration that's trying to physically build a wall on a border, the border is the last line of defence. I agree that it needs to be efficient, but I think it would be useful, just from the point of view of vocabulary, to think about a smarter, more secure border, one that's more efficient, and not thick versus thin. A thin border sounds like an insecure border to American ears.
The politics of advocating for that, even if that's not what you're suggesting.... You're not suggesting that there be a less secure border, but quite the contrary. Anyway, it's the thick-thin words that I take issue with, but nothing else.