[Congressional Record Volume 150, Number 26 (Wednesday, March 3, 2004)]
[House]
[Pages H772-H778]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




 HONORING THE MEN AND WOMEN OF THE DRUG ENFORCEMENT ADMINISTRATION ON 
                          ITS 30TH ANNIVERSARY

  Mr. SENSENBRENNER. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and agree 
to the resolution (H. Res. 412) honoring the men and women of the Drug 
Enforcement Administration on the occasion of its 30th anniversary.
  The Clerk read as follows:

                              H. Res. 412

       Whereas the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) was first 
     created by executive order on July 6, 1973, merging the 
     previously separate law enforcement and intelligence agencies 
     responsible for narcotics control;
       Whereas the first Administrator of the DEA, John R. 
     Bartels, Jr., was confirmed by the Senate on October 4, 1973;
       Whereas since 1973 the men and women of the DEA have served 
     our Nation with courage, vision and determination, protecting 
     all Americans from the scourge of drug trafficking, abuse, 
     and related violence;
       Whereas between 1986 and 2002 alone, DEA agents seized over 
     10,000 kilograms of heroin, 900,000 kilograms of cocaine, 
     4,600,000 kilograms of marijuana, 113,000,000 dosage units of 
     hallucinogens, and 1,500,000,000 dosage units of 
     methamphetamine, and made over 443,000 arrests of drug 
     traffickers;
       Whereas DEA agents continue to lead task forces of Federal, 
     State, and local law enforcement officials throughout the 
     Nation, in a cooperative effort to stop drug trafficking and 
     put drug gangs behind bars;
       Whereas throughout its history many DEA employees and 
     members of DEA task forces have given their lives in the 
     defense of our Nation, including: Emir Benitez, Gerald 
     Sawyer, Leslie S. Grosso, Nickolas Fragos, Mary M. Keehan, 
     Charles H. Mann, Anna Y. Mounger, Anna J. Pope, Martha D. 
     Skeels, Mary P. Sullivan, Larry D. Wallace, Ralph N. Shaw, 
     James T. Lunn, Octavio Gonzalez, Francis J. Miller, Robert C. 
     Lightfoot, Thomas J. Devine, Larry N. Carwell, Marcellus 
     Ward, Enrique S. Camarena, James A. Avant, Charles M. 
     Bassing, Kevin L. Brosch, Susan M. Hoefler, William Ramos, 
     Raymond J. Stastny, Arthur L. Cash, Terry W. McNett, George 
     M. Montoya, Paul S. Seema, Everett E. Hatcher, Rickie C. 
     Finley, Joseph T. Aversa, Wallie Howard, Jr., Eugene T. 
     McCarthy, Alan H. Winn, George D. Althouse, Becky L. 
     Dwojeski, Stephen J. Strehl, Richard E. Fass, Juan C. Vars, 
     Jay W. Seale, Meredith Thompson, Frank S. Wallace, Jr., Frank 
     Fernandez, Jr., Kenneth G. McCullough, Carrol June Fields, 
     Rona L. Chafey, Shelly D. Bland, Carrie A. Lenz, Shaun E. 
     Curl, Royce D. Tramel, Alice Faye Hall-Walton, and Elton 
     Armstead;
       Whereas many other employees and task force officers of the 
     DEA have been wounded or injured in the line of duty; and
       Whereas in its 173 domestic offices and 78 foreign offices 
     worldwide the over 8,800 employees of the DEA continue to 
     hunt down and bring to justice the drug trafficking cartels 
     that seek to poison our citizens with dangerous narcotics: 
     Now, therefore, be it
       Resolved, That the House of Representatives--
       (1) congratulates the DEA on the occasion of its 30th 
     Anniversary;
       (2) honors the heroic sacrifice of those of its employees 
     who have given their lives or been wounded or injured in the 
     service of our Nation; and
       (3) thanks all the men and women of the DEA for their past 
     and continued efforts to defend the American people from the 
     scourge of illegal drugs.

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from 
Wisconsin (Mr. Sensenbrenner) and the gentleman from Virginia (Mr. 
Scott) each will control 20 minutes.
  The Chair recognizes the gentleman from Wisconsin (Mr. 
Sensenbrenner).
  Mr. PAUL. Mr. Speaker, I want to inquire on whether or not the 
gentleman on the other side is in opposition to the bill.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The Chair asks the gentleman from Virginia 
(Mr. Scott), is he opposed to the motion?
  Mr. SCOTT of Virginia. Mr. Speaker, I am not opposed to the motion.
  Mr. PAUL. In that case, Mr. Speaker, I request the time in 
opposition.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Under clause 1(c) of rule XV, the Chair 
recognizes the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Paul) to control the time in 
opposition to the motion.
  The Chair now recognizes the gentleman from Wisconsin (Mr. 
Sensenbrenner).


                             General Leave

  Mr. SENSENBRENNER. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all 
Members may have 5 legislative days within which to revise and extend 
their remarks and include extraneous materials on H. Res. 412, the 
resolution currently under consideration.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the 
gentleman from Wisconsin?
  There was no objection.
  Mr. SENSENBRENNER. Mr. Speaker, I yield 10 minutes, half my time, to 
the gentleman from Virginia (Mr. Scott), and I ask unanimous consent 
that he be allowed to yield portions of that time as he sees fit.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the 
gentleman from Wisconsin?
  There was no objection.
  Mr. SENSENBRENNER. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may 
consume.
  Mr. Speaker, on July 6, 1973, President Richard Nixon first created 
the Drug Enforcement Administration. The agency was created to address 
a growing drug problem in the United States. The DEA was the merger of 
separate law enforcement and intelligence agencies that shared 
responsibility for enforcing controlled substance laws. At the time, 
Congress and the administration recognized an increase in the use and 
the availability of illegal drugs in this country. According to DEA 
statistics in 1960, only 4 million Americans had ever tried drugs. That 
number is currently over 74 million.

[[Page H773]]

  The DEA continues to defend our Nation from the scourge of illegal 
drugs. It not only enforces the controlled substances laws and 
regulations of the United States, but the agency also recommends and 
supports nonenforcement programs aimed at reducing the availability of 
illicit controlled substances on the domestic and international 
markets.
  This mission is as relevant today as it was 30 years ago when the DEA 
was created. The families and communities affected by drug abuse 
recognize the important work that the DEA performs. The DEA's steadfast 
commitment to bringing drug traffickers to justice is crucial to 
protecting our communities.
  The DEA leads task forces of Federal, State and local law enforcement 
officials throughout the Nation in a cooperative effort to stop drug 
trafficking. However, these partnerships are not limited to our 
borders, as evidenced by the more than 70 field offices worldwide.
  The efforts of the DEA domestically and abroad are vital to our 
national security. The war on terrorism is fought on many fronts, 
including drug trafficking. It is apparent that there have been 
connections between the drug trade and terrorist activities. The DEA 
will continue this fight in an effort to remove another avenue of 
financing for terrorism.
  Today, this Congress recognizes the important work of this agency and 
thanks its employees, both past and present, for their continued 
efforts to block the flow of drugs into America's cities and towns. 
This resolution also acknowledges that the war on drugs is not without 
loss and gives special recognition to those who have lost their life or 
who have been injured in pursuit of this noble cause.
  I urge my colleagues to support this resolution to honor the men and 
women who have served, and continue to serve, our country as a part of 
the Drug Enforcement Administration.
  Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
  Mr. PAUL. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
  (Mr. PAUL asked and was given permission to revise and extend his 
remarks.)
  Mr. PAUL. Mr. Speaker, I rise in opposition to the resolution but 
obviously not because we should not honor the men who were asked to do 
their duty and lost their lives. It is for another reason.
  I would like to call attention to my colleagues and to the Congress 
the lack of success on the war on drugs. The war has been going on for 
30 years. The success is not there, and I think we are deceiving 
ourselves if we think that everything is going well and that we have 
achieved something, because there is really no evidence for that. Not 
only that, there have been many unintended consequences that we fail to 
look at, and I want to take this time to make that the point and try to 
get some of us to think that there may be another way to fight the war 
on drugs.
  I do not know of anybody who likes drugs and advocates the use of 
drugs. I as a physician am strongly opposed to the use of drugs. It is 
just that the techniques make a big difference. We are talking about 
bad habits, and yet we are resorting to the use of force, literally an 
army of agents and hundreds of billions of dollars over a 30-year 
period, in an effort to bring about changes in people's habits. Someday 
we are going to have to decide how successful we have been. Was it a 
good investment? Have we really accomplished anything?
  Another reason why I am taking this time to express an opposition is 
that the process has been flawed. After World War I, there was a 
movement in this country that believed that too many Americans had bad 
habits of drinking too much alcohol, and of course, if we really want 
to deal with a bad drug, alcohol is it. Many, many more die from 
alcoholism and drunken driving and all kinds of related illnesses, but 
the country knew it and they recognized how one dealt with those 
problems.
  The one thing that this country recognized was that the Congress had 
no authority to march around the country and tell people not to drink 
beer, and what did they do? They resorted to amending the Constitution, 
a proper procedure, and of course, it turned out to be a failed 
experiment. After 12 years, they woke up and the American people 
changed it.
  We have gone 30 years and we have not even reconsidered a new 
approach to the use of drugs and the problems that we face.
  Another thing that is rather astounding to me, is that not only have 
we lost the respect for the Constitution to say that the Federal 
Government can be involved in teaching habits, but we literally did 
this not even through congressional legislation.

                              {time}  1115

  The DEA was created by an executive order. Imagine the size of this 
program created merely by a President signing an executive order. Of 
course, the ultimate responsibility falls on the Congress because we 
acquiesce and we vote for all the funding. The DEA has received over 
$24 billion in the past 30 years, but the real cost of law enforcement 
is well over $240 billion when we add up all the costs.
  And then if we look at the prison system, we have created a 
monstrosity. Eighty-four percent, according to one study, 84 percent of 
all Federal prisoners are nonviolent drug prisoners. They go in and 
they come out violent. We are still talking about a medical problem. We 
treat alcoholism as a medical problem, but anybody who smokes a 
marijuana cigarette or sells something, we want to put them in prison. 
I think it is time to stop and reevaluate this.
  One other point is that as a physician I have come to the firm 
conclusion that the war on drugs has been very detrimental to the 
practice of medicine and the care of patients. The drug culture has 
literally handicapped physicians in caring for the ill and the pain 
that people suffer with terminal illnesses. I have seen doctors in 
tears coming to me and saying that all his wife had asked me for was to 
die not in pain; and even he, as a physician, could not get enough pain 
medication because they did not want to make her an addict. So we do 
have a lot of unintended consequences.
  We have civil liberty consequences as well. We set the stage for 
gangsters and terrorists raising money by making weeds and wild plants 
and flowers illegal. If someone could say and show me all of a sudden 
that the American people use a lot less drugs and kids are never 
tempted, it would be a better case; but we do not have the evidence. We 
have no evidence to show that 30 years of this drug war has done very 
much good. Matter of fact, all studies of the DARE program show that 
the DARE program has not encouraged kids to use less illegal drugs. So 
there is quite a few reasons why we ought not to just glibly say to the 
DEA it's been a wonderful 30 years and encourage more of it.
  The second part of the resolution talks about the sacrifice of these 
men. To me, it is a tragedy. Why should we ever have a policy where men 
have to sacrifice themselves? I do not believe it is necessary. We gave 
up on the prohibition of alcohol. I believe the drug war ought to be 
fought, but in a much different manner.
  Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
  Mr. SCOTT of Virginia. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may 
consume, and I thank the gentleman from Wisconsin for the courtesy of 
yielding me this time.
  Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of this resolution and urge my 
colleagues to support it. House Resolution 412 commemorates the 30th 
anniversary of the Federal Drug Enforcement Agency and recognizes the 
contributions and achievements of its current 8,800 employees working 
in 173 domestic offices and 78 foreign offices worldwide.
  The resolution also specifically recognizes the sacrifices of those 
employees who have given their lives in the line of duty and those who 
have been wounded or injured.
  So I am pleased to join my colleagues in recognizing the dedicated 
hard work and sacrifice of the men and women of the DEA on this 
occasion commemorating the 30th anniversary of this agency.
  Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
  Mr. SENSENBRENNER. Mr. Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the gentleman 
from Indiana (Mr. Souder).
  Mr. SCOTT of Virginia. Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the 
gentleman from Indiana (Mr. Souder).

[[Page H774]]

  (Mr. SOUDER asked and was given permission to revise and extend his 
remarks.)
  Mr. SOUDER. Mr. Speaker, today we honor the men and women of the Drug 
Enforcement Administration on the occasion of its 30th anniversary. I 
would like to thank the House leadership and the chairman of the 
Committee on the Judiciary, the gentleman from Wisconsin (Mr. 
Sensenbrenner), for bringing this resolution to the floor; and I would 
particularly like to thank all those who have cosponsored my 
resolution, especially the gentleman from Maryland (Mr. Cummings), the 
ranking member of the Subcommittee on Criminal Justice, Drug Policy and 
Human Resources of the Committee on Government Reform, and the 
gentleman from Georgia (Mr. Deal), the vice chairman of that 
subcommittee. I am pleased we were able to introduce this legislation 
on a bipartisan basis, emphasizing our shared goal of preventing drug 
abuse.
  If I may just briefly comment on a few of the remarks of my friend, 
the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Paul), our libertarian conscience in the 
House. He is an eloquent spokesman for limited Federal Government and 
votes against most resolutions here, and he works as our conscience. 
However, he is deeply wrong on this issue. We have, in fact, made 
progress on drug abuse this past year, 10 percent reduction. We have 
had a dramatic reduction. But it is hard to battle addiction across 
America, just as it is in child abuse, spousal abuse, and other things 
that the gentleman from Texas would oppose the Federal Government being 
involved in.
  We have a philosophical difference, but the gentleman should not 
disparage the efforts of the DEA and the hard work so many people do in 
trying to prevent the 20,000 deaths per year that occur because of drug 
abuse in America.
  Mr. Speaker, in the aftermath of September 11, we have often 
recognized and honored the men and women responsible for preventing and 
responding to terrorist attacks on our country, and rightly so; but we 
should never forget the terrible toll that drug abuse continues to take 
on America, nor those who bravely seek to stop it. According to the 
Center for Disease Control, every year 20,000 American lives are lost 
as a direct consequence of illegal drug use, and much more devastation 
beyond those 20,000 in indirect loss of life.
  The Office of National Drug Control Policy estimates that the annual 
economic cost of drug abuse to the U.S. in lost productivity, health 
care costs, and wasted lives is now well over $150 billion. Every year, 
drug traffickers seek further profit from this misery by importing, 
manufacturing, and selling these poisons on our streets and in our 
communities. It is a traffic in death as devastating as anything the 
more visible terrorists have done. The task of stopping this falls on 
our law enforcement agencies, and no agency is more dedicated to that 
struggle than the DEA.
  Thirty years ago, on July 6, 1973, President Nixon signed the 
executive order creating the DEA from several previously separate 
agencies, more efficient government, including the Justice Department's 
Bureau of Narcotics and Dangerous Drugs, the Office of Drug Abuse Law 
Enforcement, the Office of National Narcotics Intelligence, the White 
House's Narcotics Advanced Research Team, and the Drug Investigations 
branch of the U.S. Customs Service. On October 4, 1973, the Senate 
confirmed the first administrator of the DEA, John R. Bartels, Jr., 
inaugurating a new era in the Nation's fight against drug abuse.
  The DEA has carried on that fight on every front: at the borders, in 
our cities and small towns and rural areas across the country. As the 
Federal Government's only single-mission agency dedicated to narcotics 
control, the DEA has taken the lead in breaking the international 
cartels that bring cocaine, heroin, ecstasy, methamphetamine precursors 
and marijuana into the U.S. In partnership with other Federal, State, 
and local law enforcement agencies, the DEA has organized task forces 
that investigate, penetrate, and bust the street gangs and other 
distribution networks selling drugs on the streets.
  The numbers speak volumes about the DEA's success. But these numbers, 
impressive as they are, cannot fully convey what the DEA has done for 
our Nation. We are also here to remember the personal sacrifices of 
thousands of men and women who have served America as DEA agents and 
members of DEA task forces. I would like to highlight just a few of 
these agents.
  Special Agent Benitez was shot. He was a Customs officer, and then he 
worked as one of the first Special Agents in DEA. In 1973, he was 
fatally shot during an undercover investigation of cocaine dealers. He 
was only 28 and is survived by his wife and daughter.
  Special Agent Ward of Baltimore, Maryland, was assigned to DEA in 
Baltimore. He was the husband and father of two, and was a 13-year 
police department veteran who had earned numerous medals and 
commendations. On December 3, 1984, at the age of 36, he was shot and 
killed while working on an undercover assignment.
  Special Agent Enrique Camarena was a Marine, a husband, and the 
father of three children. He received two Sustained Superior 
Performance Awards, a Special Achievement Award, and the 
Administrator's Award of Honor, the highest award granted by the DEA. 
On February 7, 1985, he was kidnapped, tortured, and eventually killed 
by Mexican drug traffickers while working in Mexico.
  These people died trying to defend us and our children on the streets 
of the United States from the scourge of drugs.
  This is Police Investigator Wallie Howard of the Syracuse, New York, 
Police Department. He was a 9-year veteran who worked for DEA's central 
office in New York and was shot during an undercover operation in 
Brooklyn when they attempted to rob him. He was only 31.
  This is Special Agent Meredith Thompson, who joined DEA in 1985 and 
was a tireless worker. At the age of 33, she was one of five special 
agents killed in 1994 in a special reconnaissance mission in Peru.
  These people died. And these are just five who have died trying to 
protect us, our children, and our families from the wreck of cocaine, 
of heroin, and of marijuana that does incredible damage. And were they 
not on the streets and were they not sacrificing their lives, so many 
more than the 20,000 would have died.
  Mr. Speaker, today we honor the men and women of the Drug Enforcement 
Administration on the occasion of its 30th anniversary. I'd like to 
thank the House leadership and Chairman Sensenbrenner of the Judiciary 
Committee for assisting us in bringing this resolution to the floor; 
and I'd particularly like to thank all those who co-sponsored the 
resolution, especially Mr. Cummings, the ranking member of the Drug 
Policy Subcommittee that I chair, and Mr. Deal, the vice-chairman. I am 
very pleased that we were able to introduce this resolution on a 
bipartisan basis, emphasizing our shared goal of preventing drug abuse.
  Mr. Speaker, in the aftermath of September 11, we have often 
recognized and honored the men and women responsible for preventing and 
responding to terrorist attacks on our country, and rightly so. But we 
should never forget the terrible toll that drug abuse continues to take 
on America, nor those who bravely seek to stop it. According to the 
Centers for Disease Control, every year about 20,000 American lives are 
lost as a direct consequence of illegal drug use. The Office of 
National Drug Control Policy estimates that the annual economic cost of 
drug abuse to the U.S.--in lost productivity, health care costs, and 
wasted lives--is now well over the $150 billion mark. Every year, drug 
traffickers seek further profit from this misery by importing, 
manufacturing, and selling these poisons on our streets and in our 
communities. It is a traffic in death as devastating as anything the 
more visible terrorists have done.
  The task of stopping this falls on our law enforcement agencies, and 
no agency has been more dedicated to that struggle than the DEA. Thirty 
years ago, on July 6, 1973, President Nixon signed the executive order 
creating the DEA from several previously separated agencies, including 
the Justice Department's Bureau of Narcotics and Dangerous Drugs, the 
Office of Drug Abuse Law Enforcement, the Office of National Narcotics 
Intelligence, the White House's Narcotics Advance Research Team, and 
the Drug Investigations branch of the U.S. Customs Service. On October 
4, 1973, the Senate confirmed the first Administrator of the DEA, John 
R. Bartels, Jr., inaugurating a new era in our nation's fight against 
drug abuse.
  The DEA has carried on that fight on every front--at the borders, in 
our cities, and in

[[Page H775]]

small towns and rural areas across the country. As the federal 
government's only single-mission agency dedicated to narcotics control, 
the DEA has taken the lead in breaking the international cartels that 
bring cocaine, heroin, ecstasy, methamphetamine precursors and 
marijuana into the U.S. In partnership with other federal, state and 
local law enforcement agencies, the DEA has organized task forces that 
investigate, penetrate and bust the street gangs and other distribution 
networks selling drugs on the streets. Through entities like the El 
Paso Intelligence Center (EPIC), DEA also gathers, analyzes and shares 
drug trafficking intelligence with its law enforcement partners. The 
numbers speak volumes about DEA's success: between 1986 and 2002 alone, 
DEA agents seized over 10,000 kilograms of heroin, 900,000 kilograms of 
cocaine, 4,600,000 kilograms of marijuana, 113,000,000 dosage units of 
hallucinogens, and 1,500,000,000 dosage units of methamphetamine, and 
made over 443,000 arrests of drug traffickers.
  But these numbers, impressive as they are, cannot fully convey what 
the DEA has done for our nation. We are also here to remember the 
personal sacrifices of the thousands of men and women who have served 
America as DEA agents and members of DEA-led task forces. I'd like to 
talk about just a few of those men and women who made the ultimate 
sacrifice in the fight against illegal drug abuse.
  Emir Benitez was one of the first Special Agents to serve at the DEA. 
As a Customs officer, he was so successful at finding marijuana that he 
received three awards for superior performance. On August 9, 1973, he 
was fatally shot during an undercover investigation of cocaine dealers 
in Ft. Lauderdale, Florida. He was only 28 when he died, survived by 
his wife and his daughter.
  Detective Marcellus Ward of the Baltimore, Maryland, Police 
Department, was assigned to the Drug Enforcement Administration's 
Baltimore District Office Task Force. A husband and father of two, 
Detective Ward was a thirteen-year police department veteran, who 
earned numerous medals and commendations for his work. On December 3, 
1984, at the age of 36, he was shot and killed while working on an 
undercover assignment.
  Special Agent Enrigue S. Camarena joined DEA in June 1974. During his 
11 years with DEA, this former Marine, husband and father of three 
children received two Sustained Superior Performance Awards, a Special 
Achievement Award and posthumously, the Administrator's Award of Honor, 
the highest award granted by DEA. On February 7, 1985, Camarena was 
kidnapped, tortured and eventually killed by Mexican drug traffickers 
while he was assigned to the DEA's Guadalajara, Mexico office. He was 
37 years old.
  Police Investigator Wallie Howard Jr., of the Syracuse, New York 
Police Department, was a nine-year veteran and the recipient of three 
bureau commendations for his work on several undercover drug 
investigations. A husband and father of two, Office Howard was killed 
on October 30, 1990, while serving on the DEA's Central New York Drug 
Enforcement Task Force. Officer Howard was shot during an undercover 
operation when drug traffickers from Brooklyn, New York, attempted to 
rob him. He was 31 years old.
  Special Agent Meredith Thompson joined DEA in 1985. She was 
characterized as a tireless worker--innovative, motivated and 
organized. Throughout her career, she received numerous letters of 
appreciation and commendation from both within and outside DEA. At the 
age of 33, she was one of five Special Agents killed on August 27, 
1994, in a plane crash during a reconnaissance mission near Santa 
Lucia, Peru. This mission was being flown as part of Operation Snowcap, 
DEA's cocaine suppression program in Latin America.
  Mr. Speaker, these are only five of the names that are listed on the 
DEA's memorial to its fallen agents and task force officers. They are a 
permanent reminder of the cost in human life imposed on us by the Drug 
traffickers and their collaborators. Today, as we thank the DEA and its 
employees for over 30 years of courage, service, and sacrifice, I hope 
that we will draw strength from their example and rededicate ourselves 
to their cause--the fight against drug abuse.
  Mr. PAUL. Mr. Speaker, how much time do I have remaining?
  The SPEAKER pro tempore (Mr. Shaw). The gentleman from Texas has 14 
minutes remaining.
  Mr. PAUL. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
  Regarding the loss of lives, whether it is 3,000 that some report, or 
20,000, many of those would be preventable if we did not have the drug 
wars going on. The drug wars go on because people are fighting for turf 
and then the police have to go in and try to stop them because prices 
are artificially high. We have created the incentive for drug violence. 
We take something worthless and make it worth billions of dollars. We 
set the stage for terrorists.
  Right now, because of the policies in Afghanistan, 80 percent of 
Afghanistan now has been returned to the drug lords. If the drugs were 
worthless, there would be no incentive to promote them. But they are 
worth a lot of money, so inadvertently our drug war pushes the prices 
up, and we create the incentive for the Taliban and others to raise the 
poppies and send the drugs over here. Then they finance the terrorists. 
So it is an unintended consequence that does not make any sense. It 
does not have to happen.
  The big challenge is will anybody ever be willing to raise the 
questions and suggest another way. Could we have made a mistake, such 
as we did with the prohibition of alcohol? This does not mean that 
everybody has everything they want. Alcohol is legal, but kids get 
marijuana and other drugs easier on the street than they get their 
alcohol, because there is such a tremendous incentive.
  During prohibition it was very well known that because alcohol was 
illegal, the more concentrated it is and the higher price it is because 
you can move it about and because it is contraband. So there is a 
tremendous incentive to do that. And then, when it is illegal, it 
becomes more dangerous. That is exactly what happens on drugs.
  One hundred years ago, you could buy cocaine in a drugstore. Most 
Americans would be tremendously surprised to realize that for most of 
our history drugs were not illegal. The first marijuana law was in 
1938. And they got around that on the constitutional aspect by just 
putting a tax on it. So there is a lack of respect for how we solve our 
problems, a lack of wisdom on what we ought to do, and a lack of 
concern; and this is my deep concern as a physician, a lack of concern 
for seeing people dying and suffering.
  Just think of the people who claim and are believable that they get 
some relief from marijuana, the paraplegics and those who have cancer 
and receiving chemotherapy. And in our arrogance, we, at the national 
level, write laws that send the DEA in to cancel out the States that 
have tried to change the law and show a little bit of compassion for 
people that are dying.
  We are constitutionally wrong, we are medically wrong, we are 
economically wrong, and we are not achieving anything. We have no faith 
and confidence in our constitutional system. We have no faith and 
confidence that we change moral and personal habits through persuasion, 
not through armed might.
  This is a choice. Nobody is for the use of drugs that I know of. But 
there is a big difference if you casually and carelessly resort to 
saying, oh, it is good that you do not do drugs, to let us create a 
drug army to prance around the country, and then lo and behold houses 
are invaded, mistakes are made, innocent people are killed, and it does 
not add up.
  It is still astounding to me to find out that the DEA was not even 
created by congressional legislation. It was created by an executive 
order. We have gone a long way, colleagues, from where the respect for 
the Constitution existed and that at least the Congress should 
legislate. Even in the 1920s, when we attacked alcohol, we had enough 
respect for the Constitution to amend the Constitution.

                              {time}  1130

  Mr. Speaker, I think we are deceiving ourselves if we think the war 
on drugs is being won, and the failure to look at the unintended 
consequences, the real cost. As a matter of fact, this resolution 
brings up the real cost, this long list, this long tragic list of 
individuals who have been killed over this war.
  So I am asking once again not so much to be in opposition to this 
resolution, but this resolution is to praise 30 years of the DEA and to 
praise an agency that really has no authority because it comes only 
from the executive branch, but for us to someday seriously think about 
the problems that have come from the war on drugs.
   Let me tell Members, there is a politically popular position in this 
country that many are not aware of: The tragedy of so many families 
seeing their loved ones die and suffer without adequate care, 90-year-
old people dying of cancer and nurses and doctors intimidated and 
saying we cannot make them a drug addict. This drug war culture that we 
live with has done a lot of

[[Page H776]]

harm in the practice of medicine. Attacking the physicians who 
prescribe pain medicine and taking their licenses from them is 
reprehensible. I ask Members to please reconsider, not so much what we 
do today, but in the future, maybe we will wake up and decide there is 
a better way to teach good habits to American citizens.
  Mr. SCOTT of Virginia. Mr. Speaker, I yield 4\1/2\ minutes to the 
gentleman from New Jersey (Mr. Pascrell), a former mayor of Paterson, 
New Jersey, who worked very closely with the DEA.
  Mr. PASCRELL. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman from Virginia (Mr. 
Scott) for yielding me this time, and I want to also congratulate the 
gentleman from Indiana (Mr. Souder) and the gentleman from Wisconsin 
(Mr. Sensenbrenner). I think this is an important resolution, and let 
us get back to the focus of what the resolution says. The Drug 
Enforcement Agency offers countless examples of heroic action and 
achievement. I am honored to offer my whole-hearted support and thanks 
to the men and women of this extraordinarily important Federal agency.
  Our Nation is constantly under threat from the scourge of illegal 
drugs, and with every strata of our social structure victimized in some 
way by the hazards of narcotics, the work formed by the DEA is 
absolutely vital. It is many times a thankless, grueling work performed 
by public servants who oftentimes put themselves in harm's way for the 
public's good. Throughout its history the Drug Enforcement Agency 
employees have given their lives in defense of their Nation. Many other 
employees have been wounded or injured in the line of duty.
  My mind flashes back to the late 1980s when an agent from North 
Jersey, Everett Hatcher, was assassinated in Staten Island in a 
horrendous, heinous crime defending his country addressing the terror. 
Talk about terror, let us talk about the terror of drugs. Every 
American owes these men and women a debt of extreme thanks, especially 
in light of the success DEA has accomplished.
  Between 1986 and 2002 alone, DEA agents seized over 10,000 kilograms 
of heroin, 900 kilograms of cocaine, 4.6 million kilograms of 
marijuana, 113 million dosage units of hallucinogens, and 1.5 billion 
dosage units of methamphetamines, and made over 443,000 arrests of drug 
traffickers. Of course, where there is no market, there is no sale, I 
say to the gentleman from Texas. We know that. The war on drugs starts 
in our homes. The war on drugs starts in our own medicine cabinets and 
our own liquor cabinets. There is no denying that. It does not start in 
the offices of my Federal agency.
  Law enforcement is only part of the answer. There is not a person in 
this Chamber who does not agree with that, but that is a given. 
Solutions are worthy for study of debate, and I salute the gentleman 
from Texas (Mr. Paul) for putting this on the floor. Perhaps this is 
not the time, but when is the time? I appreciate that.
  Foreign policy does impact illicit drug use. We know it is coming out 
of Afghanistan, a lawless country. When the American people find out 
what is going on in Afghanistan, they are not going to be very happy, 
are they? We appreciate that. But this is not the time for the debate 
so much on policy or whether medical marijuana is something that we can 
consider as a Nation. This is a time that we focus on an agency who has 
done what we have asked them to do. They have done what we have asked 
them to do, and they have put themselves in harm's way.
  We have heard the word ``terror'' used many times. We have heard it 
used in State of the Union addresses by many Presidents, but there is 
no greater terror than the terror of illicit drug use and sales in this 
country or any other country. It saps our energy and it saps our will, 
but it must begin in our homes. I salute the DEA. I wish I could say, 
Mr. Speaker, the same for many of our homes.
  Mr. SCOTT of Virginia. Mr. Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the 
gentlewoman from Texas (Ms. Jackson-Lee), a member of the Committee on 
the Judiciary.
  (Ms. JACKSON-LEE of Texas asked and was given permission to revise 
and extend her remarks.)
  Ms. JACKSON-LEE of Texas. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman from 
Virginia (Mr. Scott), the gentleman from Wisconsin (Chairman 
Sensenbrenner) and the gentleman from Michigan (Mr. Conyers), the 
ranking member.
  Mr. Speaker, I rise enthusiastically to support and to honor the 30 
years of service of the Drug Enforcement Agency, and particularly 
emphasize those who have worked with me and worked in the south Texas 
region. I applaud the achievements of 8,800 employees who work in 173 
domestic offices and 78 foreign offices worldwide.
  I join my colleagues and the gentleman from New Jersey (Mr. Pascrell) 
to acknowledge the hard work and the depth of commitment of these men 
and women. And frankly, as an aside, I might say maybe if we had a few 
good DEA officers advising us in Haiti, we would not be negotiating 
with thugs, drug dealers and others who certainly do not have the good 
intentions of the Haitians in mind.
  I particularly want to add my applause to the DEA agents who work in 
my community who have been monitoring the High Intensity Drug 
Trafficking Area. Designated in 1990, they have been working throughout 
Harris, Jefferson, Jim Wells, Kennedy and Liberty Counties, who have 
been working with the Governor's Office of Public Safety and Drug 
Policy and working on programs in schools. They have worked with 
Houston Crackdown, and we have seen a difference in the number of drug 
users in our area. They have helped Houston Crackdown run a 24-hour 
bilingual drug information hotline. They have worked with the anti-gang 
office of the Houston Police Department Gang Task Force established in 
1994. They have worked with the After School Achievement Program and 
Operation Renaissance, a collaborative effort by the police department, 
other city departments and the DEA in working in the inner city.
  We have been gratified by the fact in late 2000 the Houston field 
division reported two seizures of suspected SA heroin. Nearly 2 
kilograms were sized at a bus terminal in Houston from a Colombian 
female. In the other instance, four Venezuelans, in possession of 1.4 
kilograms of heroin, were arrested at a local hotel. We have done well 
with the DEA in south Texas. We know the trials and tribulations that 
we are engaged in.
  The good news of the DEA is they have put life into the phrase ``Just 
say no.'' They put their lives on the front line. They are committed to 
making sure our children do not fall victim to the tribulations of 
drug, and in particular methamphetamines that are plaguing the rural 
South. That has been another area where we have seen the DEA working so 
diligently.
  Mr. Speaker, I have more than one reason to come to the floor of the 
House to thank the DEA and all of its fine personnel across the Nation, 
its 173 divisions, but I am particularly proud to thank the Houston 
division for the grand work they have done, arming themselves with 
their commitment and their vision to protect the Nation's children and 
to make this Nation drug free.
  Mr. Speaker, I rise in strong support of H. Res. 412, honoring the 
Men and Women of the Drug Enforcement Administration on the Occasion of 
Its 30th Anniversary. I also supported this bill when it was marked up 
before the full Judiciary Committee last month.
  This resolution commemorates the 30th anniversary of the Federal Drug 
Enforcement Agency (DEA) and recognizes the contributions and 
achievements of its 8,800 employees who now work in 173 domestic 
offices and 78 foreign offices worldwide, and recognizes the sacrifices 
of those employees who have given their lives in the line of duty and 
those who have been wounded or injured in the line of duty.
  In Houston, particularly, I would like to applaud the DEA on the 
stellar performance of its initiatives:
  Monitoring of the High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area (HIDTA)--
Designated in 1990, the Houston HIDTA encompasses the city of Houston 
and the surrounding areas of Aransas, Brooks, Galveston, Hardin, 
Harris, Jefferson, Jim Wells, Kennedy, Kleberg, Liberty, Nueces, 
Orange, Refugio, San Patricio and Victoria counties.
  Governor's Office of Public Safety and Drug Policy--This office 
develops public policy and works to implement prevention, intervention, 
and suppression strategies to stop gang violence and assist crime 
victims. The office also coordinates and supports volunteer projects 
dealing with alcohol and drug abuse.

[[Page H777]]

  Examples of programs in Houston include:
  Houston Crackdown, which coordinates and supports volunteer projects 
in the areas of drug prevention, treatment, and law enforcement. 
Houston Crackdown also runs a 24-hour bilingual Drug Information 
Hotline that provides access to treatment and recovery resources, drug 
information for youth and parents, a means to report illegal drug 
activity, and ideas for getting involved in community efforts.
  The Anti Gang Office and the Houston Police Department Gang Task 
Force, both established in 1994. They provide a balanced approach, 
combining prevention and suppression tactics focused toward reduction 
of street gang growth and development.
  The After School Achievement Program (ASAP), a community-based 
program offering youths constructive and positive activities between 3 
p.m. and 6 p.m.
  Operation Renaissance, a collaborative effort by the police 
department, other city departments, government agencies, and various 
community groups to revive the city's inner-city neighborhoods. 
Operation Renaissance employs a holistic approach and embraces the 
philosophy of Neighborhood Oriented Government and the Super 
Neighborhood concept. It is comprised of five pillars: narcotics 
interdiction, directed patrol, nuisance abatement, trash removal, and 
graffiti abatement. The community assists the police by reporting known 
drug dealers and locations while the police utilize a two-phase 
approach in targeting identified individuals and locations. Phase One 
calls for a highly visible police presence in areas of known ``open-
air'' markets and Phase Two targets indoor locations.
  Although the fruits of this office's impressive performance record 
are many, I highlight the fact that in late 2000, the DEA Houston Field 
Division reported two seizures of suspected SA heroin. Nearly 2 
kilograms were seized at a bus terminal in Houston from a Colombian 
female who was traveling from San Antonio to New York City. In the 
other instance, four Venezuelans, in possession of 1.4 kilograms of 
heroin, were arrested at a local hotel.
  On a per capita basis, the Texas South (Houston) district is one of 
the four districts with the largest number of DEA referrals in past 
fiscal years along with New Mexico (Albuquerque), Texas West (San 
Antonio), and New York South (Manhattan). In terms of the effectiveness 
and fairness of the government's overall enforcement effort against 
drugs, the work of the prosecutors and the courts often is as important 
as that of the investigators. One measure of this joint responsibility 
is the length of time required from when the DEA refers a matter for 
prosecution to when the matter is disposed of. Nationally, the median 
processing time was 272 days. Texas South (Houston) yielded 134 days 
which was significantly lower than the national median.
  Mr. Speaker, therefore, I strongly support this bill. In the very 
near future this body should deal with this misdirected policy of 
mandatory sentencing so that the work of the DEA can be directed to the 
violent drug trafficking that hurts Americans most.
  Mr. PAUL. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
  Mr. Speaker, let me just close with a comment about the prison system 
and what has happened. As I mentioned before, 84 percent of Federal 
prisoners are nonviolent drug offenders. Many go into prison, and they 
come out hardened criminals, and the problem is made much worse. 
Because of overcrowding, we have the release of violent prisoners 
because the prisons are too full. Also, the rules on mandatory 
sentencing of non-violent offenders have not been a good idea and have 
contributed to the problems that we face.
  Another thing which I have not mentioned before but is worth thinking 
about is the inequity in the enforcement of laws. If one happens to be 
a wealthy, white-collar worker caught using cocaine, the odds of that 
individual serving time in prison is very reduced, compared to if you 
are caught in the inner city. It seems there is less justice for the 
inner city youth. This, of course, intensifies the problems of the 
inner city.
  Once again, all I ask is that in the future we look at our drug 
policy because current policy is working so poorly, and also to 
reconsider the fact that we have gone 30 years with a program where 
there is no evidence of success, and astoundingly it was all done under 
an executive order.
  Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.
  Mr. SENSENBRENNER. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself the balance of my 
time.
  Mr. Speaker, while I respect the arguments of the gentleman from 
Texas (Mr. Paul), even though I do not agree with them, I think it is 
important to look at what the resolved clause of this resolution says 
in deciding whether or not to support or oppose the resolution.
  I will read it. ``Resolved, That the House of Representatives: (1) 
congratulates the DEA on the occasion of its 30th Anniversary;
  ``( 2) honors the heroic sacrifice of those of its employees who have 
given their lives or have been wounded or injured in the service of our 
Nation; and
  ``(3) thanks all the men and women of the DEA for their past and 
continued efforts to defend the American people from the scourge of 
illegal drugs.''
  This resolution has nothing to do with drug policy. It has nothing to 
do with whether the war on drugs has been successful or not. It has 
nothing to do with whether or not drugs should be legalized. What it 
does do is to tell the people who have worked for the DEA for the last 
30 years that their service has not been in vain executing a policy in 
criminalizing certain drug activities and use of certain drugs that 
this Congress has passed.
  It also commemorates the people who have given their lives or been 
wounded in the service of their country. The DEA is a law enforcement 
agency. We make the laws, they enforce the laws. This resolution gives 
them thanks for enforcing the laws and commemorating those who have 
made the ultimate sacrifice. I support the resolution, and I urge 
Members to support the resolution.
  Mr. CASE. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in strong support of H. Res. 412, 
which honors the men and women of the Drug Enforcement Administration 
(DEA) on the occasion of its 30th Anniversary and recognizes the 
sacrifices of those who have given their lives in the line of duty.
  In Hawaii, we are fortunate that such a cohesive law enforcement 
community exists, with the strong working relationship between the DEA, 
the United States Attorney's Office, the Federal Bureau of 
Investigation, our four county police departments, and the 14 Federal, 
State, and local agencies which support the Hawaii High Intensity Drug 
Trafficking Area. All work together to pursue and dismantle domestic 
and international criminal organizations that produce, transport, and 
distribute illegal substances.
  Under the leadership of Briane M. Grey, Assistant Special Agent-in-
Charge of the Honolulu District Office, the office advocates the same 
multi-pronged approach that I firmly believe is the solution to our 
drug abuse problem: combining strong enforcement, with education, 
prevention, and treatment efforts. For example, through its 
partnerships with the Counties of Kauai and Hawaii, the DEA's Demand 
Reduction Program educates many of our young people on the dangers of 
drugs.
  In my home State, the unfortunate drug of choice today is crystal 
methamphetamine, also known as ice. High purity ice, ranging from 96 
percent to 99 percent, is all too readily available, and commonly 
abused throughout our State. In Hawaii, ice users have been linked to 
violent crimes including child abuse, hostage situations, and 
homicides. The DEA has been a strong and valuable force in our fight 
against the scourge of ice.
  In August 2003, the Honolulu DEA's Operation Jetway Task Force was 
notified of three parcels suspected of carrying ice. Pursuant to a 
search warrant, approximately 15.9 pounds of ice, worth more than $1 
million were seized from two of the parcels, and approximately $65,000 
in cash was seized from the third parcel. Later that same month, the 
task force seized approximately 674 grams of ice from the inside jacket 
pocket of an individual traveling from Los Angeles to Honolulu.
  I would like to extend a very special mahalo (thank you) to the 15 
Special Agents, 17 Task Force Officers, 2 Intelligence Analysts, 2 
Diversion Investigators, and 2 Administrative Staff in our DEA Honolulu 
District Office. The district extends DEA's presence with personnel 
assigned to offices on the islands of Maui and the Big Island of 
Hawaii, as well as offices in Guam and Saipan. I know that the Honolulu 
District Office will continue to initiate drug investigations targeting 
the highest level traffickers, and for that we are all very grateful.
  Again, congratulations to the DEA on its 30th anniversary.
  Mr. SENSENBRENNER. Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore (Mr. Shaw). The question is on the motion 
offered by the gentleman from Wisconsin (Mr. Sensenbrenner) that the 
House suspend the rules and agree to the resolution, H. Res. 412.
  The question was taken.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. In the opinion of the Chair, two-thirds of 
those present have voted in the affirmative.

[[Page H778]]

  Mr. SENSENBRENNER. Mr. Speaker, on that I demand the yeas and nays.
  The yeas and nays were ordered.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to clause 8 of rule XX and the 
Chair's prior announcement, further proceedings on this motion will be 
postponed.

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