In-town pool note #6

Will Scharf, assistant to the President, hands him the first EO, says it is about strengthening customs enforcement. “The idea here is to ensure that importers of record, other people moving goods across our border, are accurately reporting what they're bringing in, that contraband, that illegal goods aren't being brought across the border … they're being accurately accounted for for purposes of duties and tariffs and all of the other things we require.”

Scharf hands over second EO, which he says came about because “currently, with respect to many policymaking positions and departments and agencies across government, we lack the ability, because of existing personnel rules, to effectively discipline or promote people who are in policymaking roles.”

Ongoing

As always, check all quotes against the transcript.

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Abigail Hauslohner

Financial Times

US-Middle East Foreign Affairs Correspondent

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