[Congressional Record Volume 142, Number 26 (Thursday, February 29, 1996)]
[Senate]
[Pages S1426-S1427]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                   EXECUTIVE OFFICE OF THE PRESIDENT

  Barry R. McCaffrey, of Washington, to be Director of National Drug 
Control Policy.
  Mr. SPECTER. Mr. President, I am pleased to support the nomination of 
Gen. Barry R. McCaffrey, USA, to be Director of the Office of National 
Drug Control Policy. I congratulate the President on his fine choice.
  As a strong supporter of the legislation to create the Office of 
National Drug Control Policy as part of the Executive Office of the 
President, I regret that the Office has not met my expectations. 
Perhaps no one should be surprised that the directors have been unable 
to exercise full authority over the numerous Federal agencies that have 
jurisdiction and responsibilities over some aspect of the far-flung war 
on drugs. These agencies range from the military, law enforcement 
agencies, public health agencies, education agencies, foreign affairs 
agencies, and border control agencies, among others.
  The Director of this Office must be skilled in the ways of the 
numerous bureaucracies that come within his domain. He must be able to 
meld these disparate agencies into a single, effective weapon reaching 
toward the same goal, even through widely different means. He must be 
able to handle competing political demands for resources and balance 
long-term goals with short-term needs. The most important weapon in the 
Director's arsenal is the President's committed support to the ending 
the plague of drug use in our Nation.
  In 1992, our Nation had achieved a remarkable record in reducing drug 
use over the previous 10 years. While still confronting excessive crime 
rates due to illegal drugs, we had made real headway. Not surprisingly, 
crime rates soon followed in a downward trend. I regret that this 
record of success has been turned around since 1993.
  While cocaine use has been relatively stable since then, the use of 
other drugs has increased significantly. Heroin use is up, as is the 
purity of that pernicious drug. Meanwhile, the price is down, 
demonstrating that heroin supplies have been increasing. This is not an 
unexpected problem. Under Senator Biden's leadership, the Judiciary 
Committee held a hearing on the subject of heroin trafficking in 1992. 
The problem has still not been satisfactorily addressed.
  Even more troubling is the sharp increase in juvenile drug use. 
Recent studies show increases in the use of all sorts of drugs among 
students in junior high and high schools. The sharp increase in 
marijuana use among these children, double between 1992 and 1994, is 
most troubling because of marijuana's frequent use as an entry-level 
drug. Students who use marijuana are 85 times more likely to use more 
serious drugs than those who do not. LSD, methamphetamine, and inhalant 
use among students is also increasing.
  I believe leadership from the top has been lacking for the past few 
years. I hope that the nomination of General McCaffrey signals a 
renewed commitment to fighting the war on drugs.
  Wars must be fought on many fronts. Even armies with overwhelming 
strength and superiority can lose a war to a foe that can take 
advantage of strategic weaknesses. While the United States has been 
waging its war on drugs, we have not been doing it intelligently. Too 
many resources have been wasted on international eradication and 
interdiction efforts. Not enough resources have been dedicated to the 
real, long-term answers to the drug problem: education, prevention, and 
rehabilitation.
  While I was a little concerned with General McCaffrey when he was 
nominated, because of his background in interdiction, those concerns 
were put to rest by the commitment he expressed both at his 
confirmation hearing and in his responses to questions submitted for 
the record to prevention and treatment programs as the key to solving 
America's drug problem. General McCaffrey is right. America cannot win 
the drug war by focusing on law enforcement. Prevention, education, 
rehabilitation are the real keys to winning this war. With General 
McCaffrey leading our efforts, I am convinced that we will do better 
and once again begin to make strides in our collective effort to reduce 
the drug problem.
  I also want to note my appreciation to General McCaffrey for his 
willingness to come to Philadelphia to view first-hand the scope of the 
drug problem in an American city and some of the innovative steps taken 
to combat that problem. I look forward to his visit soon.
  Mr. HATCH. Mr. President, today the U.S. Senate considers the 
nomination of Gen. Barry R. McCaffrey, President Clinton's nominee to 
be Director of the Office of National Drug Control Policy--the so-
called drug czar. I strongly support General McCaffrey's nomination and 
applaud President Clinton's choice of this decorated hero of the 
Vietnam and Desert Storm conflicts.
  General McCaffrey currently runs the United States military's joint 
command in Latin American--Southern Command, also know as SOUTHCOM. 
SOUTHCOM is responsible for overseeing the military's Latin American 
interdiction efforts.
  I have been a vocal critic of President Clinton's drug policy, or 
should I say, lack of drug policy. While President Clinton has 
abdicated his responsibility to combat the plague of illegal narcotics 
to fight the war on drugs by refusing to use the bully pulpit of the 
Presidency to speak out against drugs, I believe that he should be 
commended for the nomination of General McCaffrey to join forces with 
others such as Judge Freeh [FBI], Tom Constantine [DEA] and Attorney 
General Janet Reno who have been instrumental in fighting the drug war. 
General McCaffrey has the opportunity to use his position to condemn 
drug use and take active steps in formulating a policy that will help 
this Nation triumph over drug abuse.
  A question I have is whether the selection of General McCaffrey 
signals a new-found commitment by the President to lead in the drug 
war, or whether it is, more simply, an election year make over. But I 
am willing to give the President the benefit of the doubt. I am willing 
to see if he will provide General McCaffrey with the support necessary 
to reverse the disturbing trends we have seen the past 2 years, trends 
that suggest substantial increases in youthful drug use.
  In order to be successful, General McCaffrey will need to engage the 
full support and involvement of the President. The general promised me 
that he enjoys the President's full support. I want General McCaffrey 
to know that he will have strong allies in Congress for a serious 
effort against drugs.
  Senator Biden and I, for example, have made a major commitment of 
time and energy to the drug issue, including shoring up the drug czar 
even after President Clinton slashed it substantially in his first year 
in office. While the President cut the Office of National Drug Control 
staff from 147 to 25, I am pleased that General McCaffrey said he plans 
on increasing staff to its original level of 150.
  Last summer Senator Biden and I saved the office from elimination. As 
late as last week we interceded to lift an earmark against ONDCP's 
operating budget. These recent efforts to eliminate or cut back the 
drug czar's office reflect congressional frustration with the Clinton 
administration's abdication of responsibility. I hope we will see the 
President take a more active role in supporting General McCaffrey and 
in condemning illegal drug use.
  General McCaffrey has raised three children free from the scourge of 
illegal drugs. I hope he will now view all this Nation's children as 
his own, and take their futures to heart as he devises and implements a 
drug strategy. I hope the Senate will commit to assisting him any 
reasonable way that it can.
  Mr. WARNER. Mr. President, it is a distinct pleasure for me to speak 
briefly on the confirmation of Gen. Barry R. McCaffrey as the Director 
of the Office of National Drug Control Policy today. It comes as no 
surprise that a man of General McCaffrey's stature and accomplishments 
has been confirmed so swiftly by the Judiciary Committee and the full 
Senate. As Senator Hatch mentioned in his remarks at the Judiciary 
hearing yesterday, President Clinton has made a bold and enlightened 
choice to be our next drug czar and I know he will bring fresh energy, 

[[Page S1427]]
ideas, and experience to this difficult challenge.
  I cannot let this occasion go by without briefly mentioning some of 
the many awards and accomplishments that General McCaffrey has received 
during his illustrious military career: two awards of the Distinguished 
Service Cross, two awards of the Silver Star, three awards of the 
Purple Heart for wounds suffered in Vietnam, leader of the 24th 
Mechanized Infantry Division whose left hook attack against the Iraqi 
army was the decisive ground battle in our gulf war efforts. In order 
to accept the President's call to duty in the drug war, General 
McCaffrey will retire form the Army: there is no greater indication of 
his love of country than this sacrifice to take on a new challenge.
  The extent of the drug war is well known and seems to have worsened 
during the last few years, especially among our young people. General 
McCaffrey's recent responsibilities as commander of the Southern 
Command has plunged him into the counternarcotics battle, experience 
which will serve him well in his new post. Along with his unquestioned 
moral authority and leadership skills, this experience makes Gen. Barry 
McCaffrey uniquely qualified for this position.
  I urge the Congress to assist our new drug czar in this fight in 
policy determination, financial commitment, and moral leadership. Only 
by enlisting all of us as soldiers in this war will the generals in the 
fight, such as General McCaffrey, be able to win the war on drugs. I 
wish my friend the best in his new position and it has been a singular 
honor for me to participate with my friend, Senator Nunn, in 
introducing General McCaffrey to the Judiciary Committee.

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