[Congressional Record Volume 168, Number 150 (Monday, September 19, 2022)]
[House]
[Pages H7906-H7908]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
COUNTERING ASSAD'S PROLIFERATION TRAFFICKING AND GARNERING OF NARCOTICS
ACT
Mr. MALINOWSKI. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the
bill (H.R. 6265) to require a strategy by the United States Government
to disrupt and dismantle the Captagon trade and narcotics networks of
Bashar al-Assad in Syria.
The Clerk read the title of the bill.
The text of the bill is as follows:
H.R. 6265
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of
the United States of America in Congress assembled,
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.
This Act may be cited as the ``Countering Assad's
Proliferation Trafficking And Garnering Of Narcotics Act'' or
the ``CAPTAGON Act''.
SEC. 2. INTERAGENCY STRATEGY TO DISRUPT AND DISMANTLE
NARCOTICS PRODUCTION AND TRAFFICKING AND
AFFILIATED NETWORKS LINKED TO THE REGIME OF
BASHAR AL-ASSAD IN SYRIA.
(a) Sense of Congress.--It is the sense of Congress that--
(1) the Captagon trade linked to the regime of Bashar al-
Assad in Syria is a transnational security threat; and
(2) the United States should develop and implement an
interagency strategy to deny, degrade, and dismantle Assad-
linked narcotics production and trafficking networks.
(b) Report and Strategy Required.--Not later than 180 days
after the date of the enactment of this Act, the Secretary of
Defense, the Secretary of State, the Secretary of the
Treasury, the Administrator of the Drug Enforcement
Administration, the Director of National Intelligence, and
the heads of other appropriate Federal agencies shall provide
to the appropriate congressional committees a written
strategy to disrupt and dismantle narcotics production and
trafficking and affiliated networks linked to the regime of
Bashar al-Assad in Syria. Such strategy shall include each of
the following:
(1) A strategy to target, disrupt, and degrade networks
that directly or indirectly support the narcotics
infrastructure of the Assad regime, particularly through
diplomatic and intelligence support to law enforcement
investigations and to build counter-narcotics capacity to
partner countries through assistance and training to law
enforcement services in countries, other than Syria, that are
receiving or transiting large quantities of Captagon.
(2) Information relating to the use of statutory
authorities, including the Caesar Syria Civilian Protection
Act of 2019 (22 U.S.C. 8791 note), the Foreign Narcotics
Kingpin Designation Act (popularly referred to as the
``Kingpin Act''), section 489 of the Foreign Assistance Act
(relating to the international narcotics control strategy
report), and associated actions to target individuals and
entities directly or indirectly associated with the narcotics
infrastructure of the Assad regime.
(3) Information relating to the use of global diplomatic
engagements associated with the economic pressure campaign
against the Assad regime to target its narcotics
infrastructure.
(4) A strategy for leveraging multilateral institutions and
cooperation with international partners to disrupt the
narcotics infrastructure of the Assad regime.
(5) A strategy for mobilizing a public communications
campaign to increase awareness of the extent of the
connection of the Assad regime to illicit narcotics trade.
(6) A description of the countries receiving or transiting
large shipments of Captagon, and an assessment of the
counter-narcotics capacity of such countries to interdict or
disrupt the smuggling of Captagon, including an assessment of
current United States assistance and training programs to
build such capacity in such countries.
(c) Form of Report.--The report required under subsection
(b) shall be submitted in an unclassified form, but may
contain a classified annex.
(d) Appropriate Congressional Committees.--In this section,
the term ``appropriate congressional committees'' means--
(1) the Committee on Armed Services, the Committee on the
Judiciary, the Committee on Foreign Affairs, the Committee on
Financial Services, the Committee on Appropriations, and the
Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence of the House of
Representatives; and
(2) the Committee on Armed Services, the Committee on the
Judiciary, the Committee on Foreign Relations, the Committee
on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs, the Committee on
Appropriations, and the Select Committee on Intelligence of
the Senate.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from New
Jersey (Mr. Malinowski) and the gentleman from New Jersey (Mr. Smith)
each will control 20 minutes.
The Chair recognizes the gentleman from New Jersey (Mr. Malinowski).
General Leave
Mr. MALINOWSKI. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members
have 5 legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks and
include extraneous material on H.R. 6265.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the
gentleman from New Jersey?
There was no objection.
Mr. MALINOWSKI. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may
consume.
Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of H.R. 6265, the CAPTAGON Act.
I would like to first thank Representatives French Hill and Brendan
Boyle, as well as Members from both sides of the aisle for
reintroducing this bipartisan legislation and addressing an important
issue which continues to fuel the Assad regime's coffers and campaign
of brutality.
Despite condemnation from the United States and the international
community, Bashar al-Assad's military has continued its relentless
assault on the Syrian people committing reprehensible crimes against
humanity upon them.
Even as American and European sanctions restrict this regime's
ability to transact and deal internationally, its campaign of brutality
continues to seek sources of revenue around the world.
[[Page H7907]]
One of these illicit sources of revenue is the smuggling of the
narcotic stimulant drug, Captagon, which is trafficked to, in, and
around Syria, and has become a cash source for the Assad regime to
enrich itself and prolong its atrocities against Syrians.
Though initial steps have been taken by the State Department, our
intelligence community, and the Drug Enforcement Agency to work with
allies and partners to counter this traffic, more can and must be done.
So the CAPTAGON Act would require the Federal Government to develop
an interagency strategy to disrupt and dismantle narcotics trafficking
and networks linked to the Assad regime in Syria. It also requires
reporting on such efforts and on coordination with our partners.
This is an important step in ensuring we can use every tool we have
to stop the spread of Captagon in the region and to choke off illicit
revenue for this brutal regime.
Mr. Speaker, I thank the bipartisan group of Members, including you,
Mr. Speaker, for presenting this measure.
Mr. Speaker, I encourage my colleagues to support it, and I reserve
the balance of my time.
House of Representatives,
Committee on the Judiciary,
Washington, DC, September 19, 2022.
Hon. Gregory Meeks,
Chairman, Committee on Foreign Affairs,
House of Representatives, Washington, DC.
Dear Chairman Meeks: This letter is to advise you that the
Committee on the Judiciary has now had an opportunity to
review the provisions in H.R. 6265, the ``Countering Assad's
Proliferation Trafficking And Garnering Of Narcotics Act'' or
the ``CAPTAGON Act,'' that fall within our Rule X
jurisdiction. I appreciate your consulting with us on those
provisions. The Judiciary Committee has no objection to your
including them in the bill for consideration on the House
floor, and to expedite that consideration is willing to forgo
action on H.R. 6265, with the understanding that we do not
thereby waive any future jurisdictional claim over those
provisions or their subject matters.
In the event a House-Senate conference on this or similar
legislation is convened, the Judiciary Committee reserves the
right to request an appropriate number of conferees to
address any concerns with these or similar provisions that
may arise in conference.
Please place this letter into the Congressional Record
during consideration of the measure on the House floor. Thank
you for the cooperative spirit in which you have worked
regarding this matter and others between our committees.
Sincerely,
Jerrold Nadler,
Chairman.
____
House of Representatives,
Committee on Foreign Affairs,
Washington, DC, September 19, 2022.
Hon. Jerrold Nadler,
Chairman, Committee on the Judiciary,
House of Representatives, Washington, DC.
Dear Chairman Nadler: I am writing to you concerning H.R.
6265, the ``Countering Assad's Proliferation Trafficking And
Garnering Of Narcotics Act'' or the ``CAPTAGON Act. I
appreciate your willingness to work cooperatively on this
legislation.
I acknowledge that provisions of the bill fall within the
jurisdiction of the Committee on the Judiciary under House
Rule X, and that your Committee will forgo action on H.R.
6265 to expedite floor consideration. I further acknowledge
that the inaction of your Committee with respect to the bill
does not waive any future jurisdictional claim over the
matters contained in the bill that fall within your
jurisdiction.
I also acknowledge that your Committee will be
appropriately consulted and involved as this or similar
legislation moves forward and will support the appointment of
Committee on the Judiciary conferees during any House-Senate
conference convened on this legislation.
Lastly, I will ensure that our exchange of letters is
included in the Congressional Record during floor
consideration of the bill. Thank you again for your
cooperation regarding the legislation. I look forward to
continuing to work with you as the measure moves through the
legislative process.
Sincerely,
Gregory W. Meeks,
Chairman.
Mr. SMITH of New Jersey. Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of the bill.
Mr. Speaker, I yield 4 minutes to the gentleman from Arkansas (Mr.
Hill), who is the ranking member on the Financial Services Committee.
He is author of this important legislation, and in the past, Mr.
Speaker, he served under George Herbert Walker Bush as the Deputy
Assistant Secretary of Treasury. He also was the special assistant for
economic policy under 41, George Herbert Walker Bush, so he brings a
wealth of knowledge and information that we are blessed to have here in
this House.
Mr. HILL. Mr. Speaker, I thank my two friends from New Jersey for
managing the floor, and I thank my good friend, the Speaker pro tempore
(Mr. Brendan F. Boyle) for working with me on this important
legislation.
Mr. Speaker, I do rise in support of H.R. 6265, the CAPTAGON Act. I
really appreciate Chairman Meeks and Ranking Member McCaul shepherding
this legislation through the committee and now to the House floor. As I
said, Congressman Boyle and I worked collectively on this over the past
year, and I appreciate his leadership on our Friends of Syria Caucus.
The decade of destruction and deteriorating human rights situation in
Syria is well known. But just look at the poster next to me for a
snippet of the headlines coming out of the region as it relates to this
poison, this drug, Captagon.
In addition to regularly committing war crimes against his own
people, the Assad regime in Syria has now become a narco state.
Narcotic production and trafficking in Syria and its neighbors have
become more expansive and more widespread.
The current epicenter of the drug trade is in territory controlled by
the Assad regime. This has been well known now for at least 2 years.
Yet despite that, just last week the State Department and White House
failed to include Syria in their required determinations of major drug
transit and major illicit drug producing countries.
Mr. Speaker, I include in the Record a letter dated July 15, 2022,
from Senator Roger Marshall of Kansas, Representative Brendan Boyle,
and myself to Secretary Blinken urging that Syria be added to this
determination.
Washington, DC, July 15, 2022.
Hon. Antony Blinken,
Secretary of State,
Department of State.
Dear Mr. Secretary: We are writing to respectfully request
that your administration review and determine whether Syria
meets the criteria of a ``major illicit drug producing
country'' or ``major drug-transit country'' as defined in
sections 481(e)(2) and 481(e)(5) of the Foreign Assistance
Act of 1961 (22 U.S.C. Sec. 2291(e)(2) and Sec. 2291(e)(5)).
Elements of the Assad regime and regime-affiliated networks
have reportedly engaged in state-sponsored amphetamine
production and trafficking. We have seen a troubling increase
in Captagon exports from Assad regime-affiliated networks
relying on a robust pharmaceutical sector and smuggling
routes between Syria and neighboring countries. This uptick
has also coincided with increased Assad-affiliated Captagon
seizures globally.
Not only is this trade a potential source of revenue for
elements of the Assad regime and its affiliates, but the
industrial-scale amphetamine production represents a security
threat to the region itself, particularly as Captagon
production can become methamphetamine with a few changes to
the production process. In response, the House of
Representatives designed an amendment to the National Defense
Authorization Act (NDAA) for Fiscal Year 2022 to encourage
your administration to develop a multi-agency strategy to
disrupt and dismantle these networks. The Joint Explanatory
Statement for the FY2022 NDAA noted that ``the Captagon trade
is a cause of instability in the Middle East that has
negative implications for the national security of the United
States and its allies and partners. We support development of
a strategy to guide appropriate action against narcotics
production and trafficking and affiliated networks linked to
the regime of Bashar al-Assad in Syria.''
As you know, section 706 of the Foreign Relations
Authorization Act, Fiscal Year 2003 (P.L. 107-228) requires
that the President submit an annual report no later than
September 15 of each year that identifies each country
determined by the President to be a major drug transit
country or major illicit drug-producing country. In its most
recent report, the White House did not list Syria among the
22 countries identified as major drug transit or major
illicit drug producing countries. If a country is designated
as having ``failed demonstrably'' in its counternarcotics
commitments, the United States must cease providing certain
categories of foreign assistance (as defined in section
481(e)(4) of the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961; 22 U.S.C.
Sec. 2291(e)(4)) to such country unless the President
determines that the provision of such assistance is vital to
U.S. national interests or that the country, at any time
after the President's initial report to Congress, has made
``substantial efforts'' to comply with the counternarcotics
conditions in the legislation. This prohibition does not
affect narcotics-related assistance and humanitarian
assistance (i.e., disaster relief assistance, assistance
involving the provision of food or medicine, and assistance
for refugees).
We, therefore, request that you determine whether the
Government of Syria meets the criteria for designation as a
major drug transit country or major illicit drug-producing
country.
[[Page H7908]]
Thank you for your time and attention to this matter. We
look forward to receiving your expeditious response.
Sincerely,
Roger Marshall,
United States Senator.
Brendan Boyle,
Member of Congress.
French Hill,
Member of Congress.
Mr. HILL. Mr. Speaker, this recent omission tracks with the
administration's diplomacy disconnect from our American values. First,
earlier this year, State erred and did not include Nigeria, leaving
them off as a country of particular concern for religious freedom. And
now it is Syria left off as a major drug-producing country.
Mr. Speaker, this is why this bill is so critical and important at
this time.
We need an all-of-Government approach to addressing the Assad
regime's drug production and trafficking.
Captagon has already reached Europe, and it is only a matter of time
before it reaches our shores. If we do not work with our like-minded
partners to first hinder the narcotics trade and replace it with a
working system of institutions that serve the Syrian people, then Assad
will, in fact, add the title drug kingpin to his recognized global
status as a leading mass murderer.
Mr. Speaker, I urge all my colleagues to support this important bill.
Mr. MALINOWSKI. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
Mr. SMITH of New Jersey. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I
may consume.
Mr. Speaker, I thank my good friend, French Hill, for authoring this
very, very important piece of legislation. It mandates an interagency
strategy on how the U.S. is responding to the destabilizing Captagon
drug trade in the Middle East.
Captagon, as I think my colleagues know, is a highly addictive
amphetamine that is fast becoming the most widely abused drug in the
Middle East. Given the growing threat Captagon poses to the stability
in the region and to individual human lives, the lack of resources
devoted to address its proliferation is alarming.
In addition to this drug trade creating a crisis along Jordan's
border, there is growing evidence that the murderous Assad regime is
deeply involved in Captagon trafficking. This narco trafficking fuels
Assad's war on the Syrian people and further threatens regional
stability. The administration clearly is not doing enough, as was
pointed out by my good friend and colleague, French Hill, to focus on
this threat, which is why we need this bill to admonish the
administration and to force the administration, the executive branch,
to acknowledge this problem and to respond to it.
The CAPTAGON Act will help ensure that we are countering this
destabilizing drug trade which is helping to bankroll one of the most
brutal tyrants of our time.
Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.
Mr. MALINOWSKI. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself the balance of my time to
close.
Mr. Speaker, I thank, once again, my colleagues, Representatives
French Hill and Brendan Boyle, for introducing this critical
legislation. I hope all of our colleagues will join us in supporting
it, and I yield back the balance of my time.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. The question is on the motion offered by the
gentleman from New Jersey (Mr. Malinowski) that the House suspend the
rules and pass the bill, H.R. 6265.
The question was taken.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. In the opinion of the Chair, two-thirds
being in the affirmative, the ayes have it.
Mr. HICE of Georgia. 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, further
proceedings on this motion will be postponed.
____________________