[Congressional Record Volume 147, Number 64 (Thursday, May 10, 2001)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E776-E777]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]


               SELECTION OF JOHN P. WALTERS AS DRUG CZAR

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                        HON. BENJAMIN A. GILMAN

                              of new york

                    in the house of representatives

                         Thursday, May 10, 2001

  Mr. GILMAN. Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to rise today to applaud 
President Bush for his selection of John P. Walters as Director of the 
Office of National Drug Control Policy, and for his support for our war 
on illicit drugs in our country and around the world. I was pleased to 
join President Bush in the Rose Garden today, to announce the selection 
of John Walters and a reinvigoration of our war on drugs. John Walters' 
extensive experience under former Drug Czar Bill Bennett, provides the 
Bush Administration with the knowledge and character necessary to get 
the war on drugs back on track, with appropriate balance and support on 
both the supply side and the demand side.
  John Walters started his public service at the Department of 
Education, working hard on drug abuse prevention, including service as 
the principal author and project manager for the ``Schools Without 
Drugs'' prevention and education program. He served as ONDCP Chief of 
Staff in the first Bush Administration, and later was confirmed by the 
Senate as Deputy Director. During his tenure at ONDCP, Walters was a 
major designer of the largest Federal funding increases for drug 
treatment and treatment research in U.S. history.
  The selection of John Walters and the recognition of the importance 
of keeping the Office of Drug Czar at the Cabinet level, truly reflects 
the President's national commitment to effectively fighting the drug 
epidemic. The President's new drug policy sends a clear signal to 
America's youth that drug use is dangerous and wrong. The President 
wants to reach our youth as early as possible to help steer them away 
from the dangers of illegal drug use and addiction.
  Mr. Speaker, drug abuse prevention begins with the family. To help 
families lead the way in combating drug addiction, the President is 
directing ONDCP to develop a parent drug corps, to reinforce the 
efforts of families. The President's drug policy will also provide 
needed support to schools and communities in their efforts to prevent 
drug abuse.
  President Bush has directed ONDCP to focus Federal anti-drug efforts 
on results. To assess the effectiveness of existing anti-drug efforts, 
Health and Human Services Secretary Thompson will lead a state-by-state 
review of treatment needs and capacity to make certain that we provide 
effective resources to meet the demand where it exists.
  The President has also directed Attorney General Ashcroft to develop 
a plan to use our criminal justice system--from prisons to probation 
and parole--to protect citizens by helping addicts recover and stay 
away from drugs and violence when they return to the community. The 
President's budget reflects his commitment to preventing drug abuse and 
treating those already addicted. His budget provides $25 million over 5 
years to create the parent drug corps to mobilize parents and families. 
The President's budget doubles funding for local anti-drug coalitions 
over 5 years, providing up to $350 million over 5 years, including an 
$11 million increase in fiscal year 2002, to support community-based 
drug prevention and education efforts.
  The President is committed to closing the treatment gap with a 5-year 
commitment to increasing treatment resources by $1.6 billion, including 
targeted treatment programs for teens and adolescents, and increased 
funding for the National Institute of Drug Abuse by $126 million for 
fiscal year 2002, expanding research into prevention and treatment. The 
President substantially increases funding for the National Institute on 
Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, fully funds the National Youth Anti-Drug 
Media Campaign, and makes a strong commitment to drug courts and other 
criminal justice diversion programs to help more Americans break the 
vicious cycle of addiction and incarceration.
  The threat from illegal drugs is our most insidious national security 
threat. Throughout my tenure in the Congress, I have been dedicated to 
fighting the plague of illicit drugs in our Nation and throughout our 
world. Accordingly, I am proud to stand together with President Bush 
and John Walters to reassert our national commitment to our war on 
drugs, for our young people, our communities, our law enforcement 
officers, and our international allies.
  Mr. Speaker, I submit a copy of the President's remarks on the 
announcement of the Director of the Office of Drug Control Policy to be 
included at this print in the Record:

                            THE WHITE HOUSE

Remarks by the President in Announcement of The Director of the Office 
                  of Drug Control Policy, May 10, 2001

       THE PRESIDENT. Thank you all so very much for being here. 
     It's an honor to see so many members of the United States 
     Congress who are here. Thank you so very much for coming--and 
     members from both political parties, members who are 
     dedicated to joining with an administration which is 
     dedicated to reducing drug abuse around America. Thank you 
     for being here. (Applause.)
       I'm pleased that members of my Cabinet have joined us--the 
     Attorney General of the United States, John Ashcroft; the 
     Secretary of Health and Human Services, Tommy Thompson. Thank 
     you all for being here. (Applause.) Mr. Surgeon General, 
     thank you for being here, as well, sir. We're honored to have 
     you here. (Applause.)
       Also with us is John J. DiIulio, who is the Director of the 
     Office of Faith-based and Community Initiatives. John is on 
     the leading edge of encouraging faith-based programs to 
     become energized to help people who need help. And, John, 
     thank you so much for being here, as well. (Applause.)
       I'm honored to be joined on stage by five Americans--well, 
     six Americans--five Americans who won't speak. (Laughter.) 
     Which is saying something for the first American I'm going to 
     introduce. William J. Bennett. (Laughter and applause.) He 
     was our nation's first Drug Czar, former Secretary of 
     Education, a fearless--fearless--fighter against drug abuse. 
     As well, as Joe A. Califano, who has a Center on Addiction 
     and Substance Abuse at Columbia University, former Secretary 
     of Health and Education and Welfare under President Jimmy 
     Carter, as well, like Mr. Bennett, a fearless advocate for 
     those of us who are dedicated to reducing drug abuse. Thank 
     you both for being here. (Applause.)
       And we have three members from the community--antidrug 
     community--who have joined us. Arthur R. Dean is the Chairman 
     and CEO of the Community Antidrug Coalitions of America. 
     Thank you so much for coming. I appreciate you being here. 
     (Applause.) Jessica Hulsey is a member of the

[[Page E777]]

     Drug-Free Community's Advisory Commission. Thank you, 
     Jessica. (Applause.) And Henry Lozano, Californians for Drug-
     free Youth, a member of the DFCAC, a graduate from Teen 
     Challenge. (Applause.)
       I'm pleased to announce that as of today, the federal 
     government is waging an all-out effort to reduce illegal drug 
     use in America. (Applause.) And I'm proud to nominate John P. 
     Walters as my Director of National Drug Control Policy, where 
     he will serve as a valuable member of my Cabinet. (Applause.)
       Mr. Walters has had a distinguished career in government. 
     He served as the chief of staff to Bill Bennett, and later 
     served as Deputy Director and Acting Director of the Office 
     of National Control Policy. John will bring tremendous skill, 
     knowledge and good judgment to this job. He's an articulate 
     advocate, an able administrator, and a man of deep and 
     reasoned convictions. He has repeatedly been called on to 
     provide guidance to the United States Congress. John cares 
     passionately about this issue and he is the right person to 
     lead America's antidrug efforts.
       Our effort rests on the firm belief that by focusing more 
     of our nation's attention, energy and resources, real 
     progress will be made. From the early 1980s until the early 
     1990s, drug use amongst high school seniors was reduced every 
     year. We had made tremendous strides in cutting drug use. 
     This cannot be said today. We must do, and we will do, a 
     better job. (Applause.)
       Fortunately, today we know more about what works in 
     prevention and education, treatment and law enforcement. We 
     will put this knowledge to use. But above all, our efforts 
     rest on an unwavering commitment to stop drug use. Acceptance 
     of drug use is simply not an option for this administration.
       Illegal drugs impose a staggering cost of more than $100 
     billion every year, principally from lost productivity. Yet 
     this dollar figure does not capture the human tragedy of drug 
     use--lost lives, educational and job opportunities unmet, 
     families torn apart, health care costs, school dropout rates, 
     and more. Drug use harms people of every economic class. But 
     drug use is doing the most damage to the poor.
       John Jacob, former President of the National Urban League, 
     has said that drugs are destroying more children and more 
     families than poverty ever did. John Walters and I believe 
     the only humane and compassionate response to drug use is a 
     moral refusal to accept it.
       We emphatically disagree with those who favor drug 
     legalization. (Applause.) Drug legalization would be a social 
     catastrophe. Drug use and addiction would soar. Hospitals 
     would be filled with many more drug emergency cases. Child 
     abuse would increase. The cost of treatment and social 
     welfare would rise. There would be more drug-related 
     accidents at work and on the road. And legalizing drugs would 
     completely undermine the message that drug use is wrong.
       A successful antidrug effort depends on a thoughtful and 
     integrated approach. Mr. Walters understands this as well as 
     anybody in America. During his career, he's worked to improve 
     the effectiveness of drug education and prevention programs. 
     He played a key role in ensuring a
       My administration will continue to work with nations to 
     eradicate drugs at their source, and enforce our borders to 
     stop the flow of drugs into America. This will make working 
     in close cooperation with Mexico a priority. It will make 
     having strong relations in our hemisphere a priority, a 
     priority which I will keep. (Applause.)
       However, the most effective way to reduce the supply of 
     drugs in America is to reduce the demand for drugs in 
     America. (Applause.) Therefore, this administration will 
     focus unprecedented attention on the demand side of this 
     problem. We recognize that the most important work to reduce 
     drug use is done in America's living rooms and classrooms, in 
     churches and synagogues and mosques, in the workplace, and in 
     our neighborhoods. (Applause.)
       Families, schools, communities, and faith-based 
     organizations shape the character of young people. They teach 
     children right from wrong, respect for law, respect for 
     others, and respect for themselves. They're indispensable. 
     And my administration stands ready to assist them in every 
     possible way. Joe Califano is the President of the National 
     Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse, and a man whose 
     research has helped shape my thinking. Joe has said that 
     teens of parents who eat, talk, pray and play together are 
     not likely to be lured into the world of drugs. A child who 
     reaches age 21 without using illegal drugs is virtually 
     certain never to do so. And children cite parents as the 
     number one reason they don't use drugs.
       And so we'll energize the parents movement by creating a 
     parent drug corps, which will provide needed support to 
     educate and train parents in effective drug prevention. 
     (Applause.) We must increase funding for drug-free 
     communities programs, and for the drug-free workplace 
     program. (Applause.) And within 30 days, Professor John 
     DiIulio will compile a complete inventory of existing federal 
     antidrug partnerships with local faith-based and community 
     groups, and work with John Walters to strengthen those 
     efforts.
       Despite every effort, however, some individuals will become 
     addicted to drugs. There are around 5 million hardcore users 
     of illegal drugs in America today. And while they represent 
     one-third of the drug users, they consume two-thirds of all 
     drugs. It is estimated that more than half of them are not 
     receiving any treatment.
       I am, therefore, asking Secretary Tommy Thompson to conduct 
     a state-by-state inventory of treatment needs and capacity, 
     and report back within 120 days on how to most effectively 
     close the treatment gap in this country. (Applause.) In order 
     to close that treatment gap, we will provide $1.6 billion 
     over the next five years.
       We want to advance our understanding of drug abuse and 
     addiction, so we're planning to significantly increase 
     funding for the National Institute on Drug Abuse and the 
     National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism. 
     (Applause.) We also recognize the benefits of coerced 
     abstinence, and so we will support drug courts and drug 
     testing for prisoners, probationers and parolees. (Applause.)
       We know that inmates receiving drug treatment are 73 
     percent less likely to be re-arrested, and 44 percent less 
     likely to use drugs than those who receive no treatment at 
     all. I'm, therefore, asking the Attorney General, John 
     Ashcroft, to come up with a comprehensive plan within 120 
     days to ensure our federal prisons are drug-free, to expand 
     drug testing for probationers and parolees, and to strengthen 
     our system of drug courts around the nation. (Applause.)
       We must reduce drug use for one great moral reason--over 
     time drugs rob men, women and children of their dignity and 
     of their character. Illegal drugs are the enemies of 
     innocence and ambition and hope. They undermine people's 
     commitment to their family and to their fellow citizens. My 
     administration will send a clear and consistent message that 
     drug use is dangerous and drug use is wrong. (Applause.)
       John Walters will lead that effort with firm resolve and a 
     caring heart. He will do an exceptional job. I am proud to 
     submit his name to the United States Senate, and I look 
     forward to working with members of the House and the Senate 
     from both political parties to reduce drug use in America. 
     (Applause.)
       I'm honored to welcome so many people who devote their 
     lives to the well-being of others to the Rose Garden here in 
     the White House. I want to God bless--thank you for your 
     work, and ask God's blessings on your work and this great 
     nation of ours.
       It's my honor to welcome John Walters. (Applause.)
       Mr. WALTERS. Thank you, Mr. President, for honoring me with 
     this nomination. I look forward to the confirmation process 
     in the Senate, and the opportunity to work with Congress 
     again in reducing the problem of illegal drug use.
       As the President has mentioned, our country has made great 
     progress in the past in reducing drug use, and we will do it 
     again. We will especially protect our children from drug use. 
     We will help the addicted find effective treatment and remain 
     in recovery. We will shield our communities from the terrible 
     human toll taken by illegal drugs. We will stop illegal drug 
     use and the drug trade from funding threats to democratic 
     institutions throughout our hemisphere.
       Most of all, Mr. President, as you have stated so clearly, 
     and as symbolized by those of us here today who represent--
     with us here today who represent millions of Americans 
     working effectively every day to reduce drug use, addiction 
     and crime, our efforts rest on the knowledge that when we 
     push back, the drug problem gets smaller. This fact is beyond 
     question today, even if it is not always beyond denial.
       Mr. President, thank you for nominating me to be Director 
     of the Office of National Drug Control Policy, at this 
     important time. If the Senate permits, it will be my 
     privilege to support the outstanding individuals represented 
     here, who work every day to combat the drug problem 
     throughout our nation.
       Thank you.
       THE PRESIDENT. Thank you all for coming.

       

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