[Congressional Record Volume 142, Number 35 (Thursday, March 14, 1996)]
[Senate]
[Pages S2031-S2033]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                  BALANCED BUDGET DOWNPAYMENT ACT, II

  The Senate continued with the consideration of the bill.


                Amendment No. 3495 to Amendment No. 3466

(Purpose: To provide additional funding for the Office of National Drug 
                            Control Policy)

  Mr. HATCH. Mr. President, today I am going to offer an amendment to 
increase the drug czar's office. I think it is critical to this country 
that we start taking the matter of drug control more seriously than we 
have over the last number of years.
  So, I rise to offer an amendment to provide an adequate level of 
funding for the Office of National Drug Control Policy, better known as 
the drug czar's office.
  This amendment increases ONDCP's budget by a modest $3.9 million to a 
total of $11.4 million for fiscal year 1996. That is still well below 
ONDCP's funding level during President Bush's administration but higher 
than the administration has requested. In fiscal year 1992, when George 
Bush was President, ONDCP was getting $18.1 million for operating 
expenses.
  We all know why this amendment is necessary. By many accounts, 
President Clinton has downgraded the war on drugs. One of his first 
acts upon taking office was to cut the drug czar's staff from 146 down 
to 25. The President said he was fulfilling a campaign pledge to cut 
staff, but several of us on both sides of the aisle warned that the new 
drug czar would not be effective without the tools to do his job. We 
were right. Indeed, the President's own drug czar conceded in 1993 that 
drugs were no longer ``at the top of the agenda.'' That was in the 
Washington Post on July 8, 1993.
  For 3 years, President Clinton gave us an imbalanced strategy 
focusing primarily on the treatment of hardcore users. The strategy 
left law enforcement and interdiction agencies twisting in the wind. 
Federal drug prosecutions fell, drug seizures dropped, the ability of 
U.S. forces to seize or otherwise turn back drug shipments in the 
transit zone plummeted by 53 percent. This is just over the first 3 
years of President Clinton's administration.
  Although the President's stated policy was to focus on hardcore 
users, President Clinton also presided over record increases in the 
quality and purity of drugs reaching American streets, as well as 
staggering increases in the number of drug-related emergency room 
admissions of hardcore users.
  As for supply reduction efforts, there appeared to be none. As 
recently as 1 month ago, White House staff were arguing that more money 
for interdiction would be wasted money. This irresponsible talk was 
coming from people who are supposed to be advocates for the drug war, 
not advocates against the drug war.
  It is indisputable that under President Clinton's leadership, we have 
been losing ground on this issue. Just look at what has happened since 
1992 with our young people. Last year, the number of 12 to 17-year-olds 
using marijuana hit 2.9 million, almost double the 1992 level, 
according to the National Household Survey on Drug Abuse in November of 
1995.
  LSD use is way up among high school seniors. Mr. President, 11.7 
percent of the class of 1995 have tried it at least once. That is the 
highest rate since recordkeeping started in 1975.
  A parents' group survey released this November found that one in 
three high school seniors now smoke marijuana--one in three.
  Methamphetamine abuse has become a major problem, particularly in the 
Western States, including mine. Emergency room cases are up 256 percent 
over the 1991 level.
  After 3 years of inaction, President Clinton now wants to give his 
drug officials a fighting chance. OMB has requested $3.4 million to 
beef up the office. This will allow them to hire 80 additional staff.
  Mr. President, in closing, I want to give the President some credit 
for giving us a new drug czar who, by all accounts, is dynamic and 
energetic. The unanswered question here is whether the selection of 
General McCaffrey signals President Clinton's newfound commitment to 
lead in the drug war or whether it is more simply an election year 
makeover.
  Adopting this amendment is ultimately about helping our children, 
about helping the 48.4 percent of the class of 1995 that had tried 
drugs by graduation day. It is about doing something to stem the 
increasing number of 12 to 17-year olds using marijuana, currently 2.9 
million of them. I urge my colleagues to support this amendment and 
give General McCaffrey the tools he needs to do this job.
  Mr. President, we have to get serious about this drug problem. It is 
eating us alive. It is funding most, if not all, of the organized crime 
in this country. It is debilitating our young people. One in three 
seniors is trying marijuana, one in three senior high school students 
in the senior class happens to be trying marijuana. Think about that. 
There is an 85 times greater likelihood for them to move on to harder 
drugs, especially cocaine, if they have tried marijuana.
  The vast majority of these kids think, today, both users and 
nonusers, that marijuana usage is less harmful to them than ordinary 
tobacco usage, than smoking simple cigarettes. Both, as anyone who 
knows anything about health will tell you, both are harmful to you. It 
is terrible to smoke cigarettes because they are going to lead to 
cancer and heart disease and a whole raft of other problems, but it is 
even worse to smoke marijuana, which can lead to all kinds of 
debilitations that deteriorate our society as a whole and make it 
difficult for people to do what is right and to live up to what is 
right.
  On top of all that, we have those in the administration who are 
arguing that the only side of the equation that really needs to receive 
some consideration happens to be the demand side, that means those who 
are taking drugs. They take the limited resources that we have and put 
almost all of them toward hard-core drug addicts, of whom the potential 
of saving is very, very low.
  I am not saying we should not help hard-core drug addicts. We should. 
But we certainly ought to be putting what limited resources we have 
into helping these first-time offenders and these young kids who have 
really got caught up in the drug world to come out of it and 
rehabilitate themselves. It is important to do the demand side of the 
equation. I am for that.
  I think we ought to put money in that, and the drug czar needs to 
spend some time on it. But unless we are doing the supply side as well, 
we will never make any headway because we have to interdict and stop 
the flow of drugs coming into this country and we have to interdict and 
stop those who are making drugs in this country, especially with the 
new methamphetamine rise that is inundating the Western States and is 
moving eastward with rapidity.
  We have to start fighting against these things, and we have to have 
our young people understand the importance of fighting against drug 
abuse in our society today.
  I look at all the drive-by shootings, kids with weapons, the murders 
in our country's Capital here. I look at all these things, and I know 
that a lot of this is driven by the drug trade, it is driven by the 
drug community, it is driven by those who should know a lot better.
  Mr. President, there is a second half to this amendment that we are 
going to file here today. This is an amendment that I am filing on 
behalf of myself and Senator Grassley. We are adding various funds to 
the budget, even above what the President has requested for the drug 
czar, because I believe that this drug czar has to have our support,

[[Page S2032]]

and we simply have to do a good job in helping him to get his job done.
  Let me just say that, in addition to the drug czar's office, we are 
including in this amendment that no less than $20 million shall be for 
the District of Columbia Metropolitan Police Department to be used at 
the discretion of the police chief for law enforcement purposes, 
conditioned upon appropriate consultation with the chairmen and ranking 
members of the House-Senate Committees on the Judiciary and 
Appropriations.
  In other words, what we are going to do is we are going to quit 
mouthing off about the greatest city in the world and how corrupt it is 
and how drug ridden it is and how murder ridden it is, and we are going 
to put our money where our mouths are and put $20 million into helping 
this police chief to clean up this mess.
  I met with Chief Soulsby a week ago. I have to say I have a lot of 
confidence in him. One of his problems is that he has politicians 
interfering with the use of these law enforcement moneys from time to 
time. We are going to stop that by giving these funds directly to him. 
He will have to consult with both the Judiciary Committees of the House 
and the Senate and both of the Appropriations Committees of the House 
and the Senate as to how he is going to use these funds.
  We are going to give him a chance to straighten this out and to start 
making a turnaround on what is needed here in the District of Columbia. 
If we find $20 million is not enough to really make that much of a 
dent, I will come back and fight for more.
  This is the greatest city on Earth, in the sense of governmental 
action. This is the seat of our Government. It is an absolute crime 
that people cannot walk down the streets in the District of Columbia 
without absolute assurance they are not going to be shot by some drug-
infested, drug-crazed human being, or that they are safe in their 
homes, which is what is happening here. Not only are they not safe on 
the streets, they are not even safe in their homes. The people of this 
community, the vast majority of whom are law-abiding, decent, 
honorable, religious citizens, deserve better.
  I am convinced that Chief Soulsby will do an excellent job if he is 
not hindered by some of the politicians in this town. By the way, I 
think some of the politicians are very good, so I do not mean to lump 
them all in a category of people who have been part of the problem 
here. But there are some who are part of the problem as well. There are 
some in the police department who need to be put in the appropriate 
positions or drummed out of the department. I am hoping that Chief 
Soulsby will set a system in motion that will get the very best people 
to be part of our police department in the metropolitan police 
department of Washington, DC.
  This is the first step of trying to make this a better system. But 
while we are making this first step in accordance with what I said I 
would do, then I think we ought to also consider that we have 37 
different Federal law enforcement organizations in this town, 37 
different Federal law enforcement agencies. They are not coordinated 
with the metropolitan police department. We have to use all these 
agencies to make this the safest and most important capital city in the 
world.
  I think we have to put our money where our mouths are and we have to 
start now. I am going to rely on Chief Soulsby, and the administration 
of the city under Mayor Barry. I am going to rely on the help of 
Eleanor Holmes Norton, who is the Representative over in the House of 
Representatives, who I believe is very eager to do a good job in this 
area for her constituents and for whom I have the greatest fondness and 
admiration, and others who, in the best interest of this city, want to 
do what is right.
  So, Mr. President, I send an amendment to the desk, and I ask for its 
immediate consideration.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER (Mr. Craig). The clerk will report.
  The bill clerk read as follows:

       The Senator from Utah [Mr. Hatch], for himself, Mr. 
     Grassley, and Mr. Shelby proposes an amendment numbered 3495.

  Mr. HATCH. I ask unanimous consent that reading of the amendment be 
dispensed with.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.
  The amendment is as follows:

       On page 755 between lines 20 and 21 insert the following:

            TREASURY, POSTAL SERVICE AND GENERAL GOVERNMENT

    EXECUTIVE OFFICE OF THE PRESIDENT AND FUNDS APPROPRIATED TO THE 
                               PRESIDENT

                 OFFICE OF NATIONAL DRUG CONTROL POLICY


                         salaries and expenses

                     (including transfer of funds)

       For an additional amount for ``Salaries and Expenses,'' 
     $3,900,000.

                         THE WHITE HOUSE OFFICE


                         salaries and expenses

                              (rescission)

       Of the funds made available under this heading in Public 
     Law 104-52, $650,000 are rescinded.

                      OFFICE OF POLICY DEVELOPMENT


                         salaries and expenses

                              (rescission)

       Of the funds made available under this heading in Public 
     Law 104-52, $650,000 are rescinded.

                    OFFICE OF MANAGEMENT AND BUDGET


                         salaries and expenses

                              (rescission)

       Of the funds made available under this heading in Public 
     Law 104-52, $500,000 are rescinded.

                          INDEPENDENT AGENCIES

                    GENERAL SERVICES ADMINISTRATION

                         FEDERAL BUILDING FUND

                 LIMITATIONS ON AVAILABILITY OF REVENUE


                              (rescission)

       Of the funds made available for installment acquisition 
     payments under this heading in Public Law 104-52, $1,900,000 
     are rescinded: Provided, That the aggregate amounts made 
     available of the Fund shall be $5,064,249,000.

                        UNITED STATES TAX COURT


                         salaries and expenses

                              (rescission)

       Of the funds made available under this heading in Public 
     Law 104-52, $200,000 are rescinded.

                               CHAPTER 12

       On page 755, line 22 redesignate the section number, and
       On page 756, line 8 redesignate the section number.

                  D.C. METROPOLITAN POLICE DEPARTMENT

       Page 29, line 18, insert the following:
       ``Provided further, That no less than $20,000,000 shall be 
     for the District of Columbia Metropolitan Police Department 
     to be used at the discretion of the police chief for law 
     enforcement purposes, conditioned upon appropriate 
     consultation with the Senate Committees on the Judiciary and 
     Appropriations.''

  Mr. HATCH. Let me add in closing that this earmark would be applied 
against the crime control block grant. We think it is about time we do 
this.
  I also mention for the record that the chairman and ranking member of 
the D.C. Appropriations Committee, Senators Jeffords and Kohl, support 
that part of the amendment granting $20 million for the District of 
Columbia Police Force to be utilized by Chief Soulsby, with his 
consultation, with both Judiciary Committees and both Appropriations 
Committees.
  Mr. KERREY. Mr. President, I support this amendment which will 
provide $3,900,000 in supplemental funding to the Office of National 
Drug Control Policy to permit our new Drug Czar, General McCaffrey to 
increase staffing by some 80 full-time equivalent positions.
  During the debate on fiscal year 1996 funding for this Office, many 
of us were critical of the administration's dedication to reducing drug 
use in this country.
  Continued surveys show that drug use among our Nation's youth, 
particularly those aged 12-17, show increases for use across the 
spectrum of illegal drugs.
  The latest National Household Survey, released early this year, found 
that any drug use, and specifically, crack and cocaine use for 12 to 
17-year-olds had increased above the previous year.
  In addition, the recent Pulse Check Survey found that the 
distribution of heroin and cocaine by the same dealers and in the same 
markets appear in more areas than ever before.
  Equally disturbing, Mr. President, is the fact that the number of 
hard-core drug users remains unchanged despite an investment of over 
$100 billion on the so-called ``War on Drugs'' since 1987. In 1987 we 
had 2.7 million hard-core drug users; in 1996, we still have 2.7 
million hard-core drug users.
  The significance of these statistics, Mr. President, is that while 
hardcore

[[Page S2033]]

drug represent less than 1 percent of the population in this country, 
they consume 66 percent of all illegal drugs and are responsible for 
34-36 percent of all violent crime in this country.
  It very well could be that this is a given, that no matter what we do 
to reduce drug use in this country, we will always have 2.7 million 
hardcore users.
  However, I believe we have an obligation to see that we use the 
latest innovations in both the public and private arenas to reach this 
group, Mr. President, before we write them off.
  We have a new Drug Czar, who I believe, exemplifies the meaning of 
the word ``Czar''. He is a decorated war hero and general and someone 
who brings enormous credibility to this drug war.
  I have met with him, Mr. President, and he is very impressive.
  General McCaffrey has taken this job, not because he wanted it or 
sought it out, but because he recognizes the devastating effects drug 
abuse has on this country and he wants to personally dedicate himself 
to seeing that we do conduct an all-out effort, on every level, to rid 
this country from the scourge of drugs for the long term.
  He has asked for the resources he believes he needs to put together a 
strategy that will work. What we've done up to this point clearly is 
not working.
  He has asked for an additional $3.4 million to increase the number of 
full-time staff at ONDCP to 125. In addition, he has requested 
permission to detail 30 planners from the Department of Defense to 
ONDCP.
  Currently, ONDCP has 45 personnel who are responsible for overseeing 
the proper implementation of an annual $14.6 billion national drug 
control budget.
  The Office budget is currently $7.5 million. If this amendment is 
successful, it will bring the total budget for his office operations up 
to $11.4 million or less than 1 percent of the total annual amount 
spent on Federal drug control programs.
  Mr. President, General McCaffrey has the confidence of this Senator 
and Members on both sides of the aisle, to lead our anti-drug efforts. 
I think we have an obligation to give him an opportunity to show us 
what he can do.
  I urge my colleagues to support this amendment.
  I suggest the absence of a quorum.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The clerk will call the roll.
  The bill clerk proceeded to call the roll.
  Mr. HATCH. I ask unanimous consent that the order for the quorum call 
be rescinded.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.
  Mr. HATCH. Mr. President, I also note for the Record that Senator 
Shelby, who worked very hard on the Appropriations Committee, would 
also like to be added as a cosponsor. I hope other Senators will also 
be cosponsors.
  I hope all Senators will vote for this so we can do good for our 
Nation's Capital while at the same time adding enough funds now for the 
drug czar's office.
  I suggest the absence of a quorum.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The clerk will call the roll.
  The assistant legislative clerk proceeded to call the roll.
  Mr. BREAUX. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the order for 
the quorum call be rescinded.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.
  Mr. BREAUX. Mr. President, I ask the Chair, what is the pending 
business and what are the time restraints on it?

                          ____________________