Sending Office: Honorable Jenniffer Gonzalez-Colon
Sent By:
Gabriel.Bravo@mail.house.gov
Current Cosigners: Rep. Stephanie Murphy, Rep. John Katko,
Rep. Kyrsten Sinema
Dear Colleague,
Please join me in sending a bipartisan letter to the Office of National Drug Control Policy (ONDCP) requesting updated versions of the Northern Border, Southwest Border, and Caribbean Border Counternarcotics strategies.
These geographically-focused reports supplement the annual National Drug Control Strategy by providing federal, state, and local stakeholders with proper guidance on how to respond to emerging counternarcotics threats across the
Nation’s borders. Former strategies have included objectives such as enhancing intelligence, disrupting and dismantling drug-trafficking organizations, and improving cooperation with international partners
Congress required the ONDCP to release the Northern Border, Caribbean Border, and Southwest Border Counternarcotics strategies biennially. However, updated versions of these documents have not been published since 2014, 2015,
and 2016, respectively.
As the Administration finalizes the National Drug Control Strategy, it is imperative that the ONDCP prioritizes the release of its biennial companion reports.
This will ensure a stronger federal response to the rise of drug trafficking and use in the United States.
If you have any questions or would like to join the letter, please contact Gabriel Bravo in my office at gabriel.bravo@mail.house.gov.
Sincerely,
Jenniffer González-Colón
Member of Congress
Letter:
James W. Carroll
Deputy Director
Office of National Drug Control Policy
750 17th St., N.W.
Washington, D.C. 20006
Dear Mr. Carroll:
As the Administration finalizes the 2018 National Drug Control Strategy, we write to urge the Office of National Drug Control Policy (ONDCP) to release updated versions of the National Southwest Border Counternarcotics Strategy,
the National Northern Border Counternarcotics Strategy, and the Caribbean Border Counternarcotics Strategy.
According to preliminary data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, drug overdoses killed more than 72,000 Americans in 2017. This record number represents close to a 10 percent increase from 2016, primarily driven
by a continued surge in deaths involving synthetic opioids. Deaths due to cocaine overdoses also rose significantly last year, putting the stimulant on par with drugs such as heroin and natural opiates.
These troubling developments highlight the continued need to reduce both the supply and demand for illicit drugs in our country. An important component of this effort is carried out by the ONDCP through the publication of the
annual National Drug Control Strategy and the development of companion strategies with a geographic focus, namely the National Southwest Border Counternarcotics Strategy, the National Northern Border Counternarcotics Strategy, and the Caribbean Border Counternarcotics
Strategy.
Congress enacted legislation mandating the ONDCP to release the National Southwest Border and National Northern Border Counternarcotics strategies every two years.[1]
Report language accompanying the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2014 (P.L. 113-76) similarly directed the ONDCP to submit a biennial Caribbean Border Counternarcotics Strategy. However, it has come to our attention that the ONDCP has not complied with the
congressionally-mandated, two-year reporting requirement for these three documents. In fact, the latest versions of the Northern Border, Caribbean Border, and Southwest Border Counternarcotics strategies were released in 2014, 2015, and 2016, respectively.
A strong federal response to the rise of drug use in the United States requires the publication of both the annual National Drug Control Strategy and its biennial companion reports. The geographically-focused strategies serve
a vital purpose by providing federal, state, and local stakeholders a blueprint to respond to emerging counternarcotics threats across the nation’s three borders. Past reports, for instance, include objectives such as enhancing intelligence, interdicting
drugs and drug proceeds, ensuring prosecution, disrupting and dismantling drug-trafficking organizations, and improving cooperation with international partners.
We respectfully urge the ONDCP to prioritize the release of the National Southwest Border Counternarcotics Strategy, the National Northern Border Counternarcotics Strategy, and the Caribbean Border Counternarcotics Strategy in
the coming months. We look forward to your prompt response to this matter and the efforts the ONDCP is undertaking to publish these reports.
Sincerely,
[1] See the Office of National Drug Control Policy Reauthorization Act of 2006 (P.L. 109-469) and the Northern Border Counternarcotics
Strategy Act of 2010 (P.L. 111-356).
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