Ranking Member Cartwright Statement at the Fiscal Year 2025 Budget Request Hearing for the Drug Enforcement Administration

Congressman Matt Cartwright (D-PA-8), Ranking Member of the Commerce, Justice, Science, and Related Agencies Subcommittee, delivered the following remarks at the Subcommittee's hearing on the Fiscal Year 2025 Request Request for the Drug Enforcement Administration:

Thank you, Chairman Rogers, and I would like to join you in welcoming back Administrator Milgram in her second appearance before the subcommittee to discuss the DEA's fiscal year 2025 budget request.

First, I would also like to take a moment to acknowledge the tragic loss our brothers and sisters of DOJ had just last week when Deputy U.S. Marshal, Thomas M. Weeks, and three members of a Marshals Fugitive Task Force lost their lives. It's a stark reminder of the risks and threats our federal law enforcement and their partners face every day and the ultimate sacrifice too many have had to make in the name of keeping our country safe. I would like to convey my deepest sympathies to their families, friends, and colleagues.

Administrator Milgram, last year we focused a lot on how the types of drugs on our streets has dramatically shifted from "plant-based" narcotics such as cocaine and heroin to those made in laboratories that require no "growing season." The accessibility and affordability of these synthetic drugs leaves DEA and its Federal, State, and local partners in a continuous defensive posture to keep dangerous narcotics out of our communities and to combat the drug trafficking networks who are trying to put them there.

It is estimated by the CDC that in the last year, we have lost over 112,000 souls to fentanyl overdoses or poisonings. DEA is in many ways the last line of defense we have to save American lives against this epidemic.

So, I look forward to discussing with you today what DEA has done over the last year to identify and dismantle the entire network and what investments are most important to you in your fiscal year 2025 budget to continue this important work. I also look forward to hearing how the work you are doing on the international stage further enhances your ability to prevent these dangerous drugs from ever entering our country.

We have already heard both from FBI Director Wray and Attorney General Garland this year – the Mexican government can be doing more to help us in this fight. We know the precursor chemicals are largely being imported into Mexico from the People's Republic of China. We know the Mexican cartels are utilizing their decades old business models to rapidly produce fentanyl. We know they are exploiting their existing drug trafficking routes to smuggle millions of dollars worth of fentanyl pills into the country. We need Mexico to be a partner in this fight. So, I look forward to discussing that more with you here today.

Ultimately, all of the DEA's work relies heavily on Congress to provide the resources needed to address the existing and emerging challenges in combatting drug trafficking operations. A continued investment in the DEA sends a clear signal to our adversaries on the global stage that we will not allow this attack on our communities to continue without consequence, and that those responsible will be held accountable by our justice system.

Administrator Milgram, I want to applaud the work of the men and women of the DEA, and I look forward to working with you on how we can best invest in the agency in fiscal year 2025. So once again, welcome, and I look forward to your testimony.

Thank you, Mr. Chairman, I yield back.