CONTAINER Act

Senate Bill

S. 157

119th Congress

CONTAINER Act

In Committee

Introduced:Jan 21, 2025

Primary Sponsor

Charles E. Grassley

Senator

Republican

IA

Cosponsors

10

Quick Stats

Policy Area

Public Lands and Natural Resources

Summary

The CONTAINER Act allows border states to place temporary movable structures on federal lands near the U.S.-Canada and U.S.-Mexico borders without special authorization. Structures can remain for one year with 90-day extensions until operational border control is achieved.

Latest Action

Read twice and referred to the Committee on Energy and Natural Resources.

AI Summary

Plain-English explanation of this bill

The CONTAINER Act allows border states to place temporary movable structures on federal lands near the U.S.-Canada and U.S.-Mexico borders without special authorization. Structures can remain for one year with 90-day extensions until operational border control is achieved.

Last updated: 1/5/2026

Official Summary

Congressional Research Service summary

Creating Obstructions Necessary to Address Illegal and Nefarious Entry Rapidly Act or CONTAINER ActThis bill requires the Department of the Interior and the Forest Service to allow border states to place temporary, movable structures on federal lands adjacent to the U.S.-Canada and U.S.-Mexico borders without a special use authorization.Border states may place these structures on such lands for the purpose of securing the northern or southern border for a period of not more than one year. Interior and the Forest Service must approve extension requests in 90-day increments if U.S. Customs and Border Protection determines that operational control of the border area has not been achieved.

Key Points

Main provisions of the bill

Allows border states to place structures on federal land
No special authorization required for temporary barriers
Covers both northern and southern borders
One year initial period with 90-day extensions
Extensions until operational border control achieved

How This Impacts Americans

Potential effects on citizens and communities

Border states could quickly deploy barriers like shipping containers on federal lands without typical permitting processes. This provides flexibility for state-level border security actions.

Policy Areas

Primary Policy Area

Public Lands and Natural Resources

Related Subjects

Border security and unlawful immigration

Land use and conservation

State and local government operations

Scope & Jurisdiction

Jurisdiction Level

federal

Congressional Session

119th Congress

Citation Reference

157, 119th Congress (2025). "CONTAINER Act". Source: Voter's Right Platform. https://votersright.org/bills/118-s-157