The U.S. State Department has postponed the international border security conference due to the still-ongoing partial government shutdown and the “very limited funding” that the longest shutdown in American history has caused.
“The Export Control and Related Border Security (EXBS) Program has postponed its 16th International Export Control and Border Security Conference, which was scheduled to take place in Edinburgh on February 19-21, due to the partial U.S. government shutdown,” a State Department spokesperson confirmed to Newsweek.
“In light of the very limited funding available during the lapse in appropriations, the Department will exercise judicious use of limited, remaining resources. Travel, hiring, contracting, public affairs, and other activities will continue to operate in a constrained manner.”
The international border security conference is taking place in Scotland where it will host over 250 export control and border security workers coming from 85 countries.
According to the spokesperson, the participants are aiming “to promote the development of effective strategic trade management and counter-proliferation measures.”
According to the State Department website, the EXBS program “seeks to prevent the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction and destabilizing accumulations and irresponsible transfers of conventional weapons by building effective national strategic trade control systems in countries that possess, produce, or supply strategic items, as well as in countries through which such items are most likely to transit.”
Kathryn Insley, the director of the Office of Export Control Cooperation said that the cancelation was due to “uncertainty associated with the continuing partial U.S. federal government shutdown” and said they “are working to identify alternative dates” for the event.
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