Politics

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Republican presidential candidate and former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney gestures while speaking May 17, 2012, to reporters on the tarmac after arriving in West Palm Beach, Fla. (Associated Press)

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Customs and Border Protection Officer Rebecca Rhinehart asks a passenger about something in his suitcase at Washington Dulles International Airport. Customs officers search for illegal drugs, plants, animal products and food items. (The Washington Times)

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Cities near Tampa, Fla., are hoping to convince some conventioneers to visit and spend money while they're in town for the Republican National Convention. (Republican National Committee)

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Marion C. Blakey, president & CEO of Aerospace Industries Association, is interviewed at The Washington Times in Washington, D.C. on Thursday, May 17, 2012. ( J.M. Eddins Jr./The Washington Times)

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Office of the United States Trade Representative: Assistant U.S. Trade Representative Guthrie hears from TPP stakeholders.

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**FILE** Republican presidential candidate and former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney speaks May 2, 2012, in Chantilly, Va. (Associated Press)

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President Obama awards posthumously the Medal of Honor to Rose Mary Sabo-Brown, widow of Army Specialist Leslie H. Sabo Jr., during a ceremony May 16, 2012, at the White House. Sabo was killed in 1970 in Cambodia during the Vietnam War. (Associated Press)

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A woman on a flight from Beijing reacts as Customs and Border Protection officers go through her bag at Washington Dulles International Airport on Thursday, Feb. 16, 2012. Officers must seize and destroy any items that are illegal to bring into the United States, such as certain fresh fruits, meat products and plant life. (Barbara L. Salisbury/The Washington Times)

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A Customs and Border Protection officer tapes up a package after opening it for inspection at Washington Dulles International Airport on Thursday, Feb. 16, 2012. (Barbara L. Salisbury/The Washington Times)

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Officer Valerie Woo uses a bolt cutter to remove a lock from a suitcase that must be opened for inspection at the Agriculture screening section of Customs at Washington Dulles International Airport on Thursday, Feb. 16, 2012. Bolt cutters, knives and magnifying glasses are all common accoutrements for the officers. (The Washington Times) **FILE**

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A Customs and Border Protection officer looks through a suitcase for any items that are illegal to br brought into the United States at Washington Dulles International Airport on Thursday, Feb. 16, 2012. The bags are first put through an X-ray machine, and if something looks suspicious, then the officers will open them up. (Barbara L. Salisbury/The Washington Times)

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**FILE** People wait in line to have their bags checked in what the Customs and Border Protection officers refer to as "Secondary" — the secondary screening area — at Washington Dulles International Airport on Feb. 16, 2012. This is where the agriculture experts check for items that are illegal to bring in to the United States, such as meat products and plant life. (The Washington Times)

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Elephant ivory and walrus ivory are both on the banned list, as they come from endangered animals. These items were seized and given to U.S. Fish and Wildlife. This image was made Wednesday, Feb. 8, 2012. (Barbara L. Salisbury/The Washington Times)

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Customs and Border Protection officers Rebecca Rhinehart, left, and Officer Davis [no first name given] take bags of seized goods to the incinerator at Washington Dulles International Airport on Thursday, Jan. 19, 2012. CBP officers throw away an average 240 pounds of seized goods daily. The items must be incinerated at 1,600 degrees for four hours. This line of defense protects America from exposure to illnesses and epidemics brought on by foodstuffs, insects and the like from other countries. (Barbara L. Salisbury/The Washington Times)

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Passengers arriving at Washington Dulles International Airport in this Thursday, Jan. 19, 2012, file photo, walk past a U.S. Customs and Border Protection sign. (Barbara L. Salisbury/The Washington Times) ** FILE **