E43: U.S. Customs & Border Protection CFO Jeff Caine on Trust, Relationships and Communication

This week, host Troy Edgar meets with Jeff Caine, the Chief Financial Officer of U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP), at the Prospect House in Washington, D.C. 

CBP is the nation’s largest law enforcement agency, overseeing border security, customs, immigration enforcement, and trade facilitation. Jeff manages a $19.5B budget that employs a workforce of over 65,000. 

Troy and Jeff have an interesting discussion on the differences between political and career CFO roles in federal agencies. Amidst talks recently in Washington, D.C. about decreasing the number of presidential appointments due to Senate confirmation challenges, the focus has shifted to evaluate roles including the 16 Department level CFOs.  Positions mandated by legislation to require Senate confirmation. This requirement often leaves many Federal departments without a CFO for extended periods.

With 37 years of federal service, Jeff provides great insight into this issue and his view of the benefits of the political CFO at the Department level.

Lastly, Jeff also encourages young people to consider a career in government emphasizing the ability to make a difference and the stability and benefits that federal service provides.

Two great follow-up episodes that deep dive into the role of Federal CFO are Ameritocracy E33: U.S. Secret Service CFO Stephen Roncone on Finance in Law Enforcement and E23: Former TSA CFO Pat Rose on Federal Funding and Technology Modernization.