[Congressional Record Volume 171, Number 119 (Thursday, July 10, 2025)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E655]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




  RECOGNIZING THE CRUCIAL WORK OF THE HIGH INTENSITY DRUG TRAFFICKING 
                              AREA PROGRAM

                                 ______
                                 

                          HON. SHARICE DAVIDS

                               of kansas

                    in the house of representatives

                        Thursday, July 10, 2025

  Ms. DAVIDS of Kansas. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize the 
crucial work of the High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area program, also 
known as HIDTA.
  Far too many Americans have been tragically impacted by our nation's 
opioid epidemic. Thankfully, there is hope. Overdose deaths dropped by 
24 percent from September 2023 to September 2024, and while that's 
something to celebrate, we have a long way to go.
  The 33 regional HIDTAs across the country are comprised of federal, 
state, and local partners, resulting in robust interagency coordination 
to respond to the most serious drug threats to the region. However, 
recent proposals to cut HIDTA funding by more than 30 percent, and even 
to remove the program from the Office of National Drug Control Policy, 
threaten the effectiveness of HIDTA.
  Without full funding, regional HIDTAs will lack the resources needed 
to maintain this high level of coordination. That's why I recently 
joined with my colleagues in urging House Appropriations Committee 
leadership to ensure that the HIDTA program receives the full funding 
and structural support needed to protect our communities.
  Additionally, HIDTA's placement in the Office of National Drug 
Control Policy, positioned within the Executive Office, ensures policy 
neutrality, cross-agency alignment, and a whole-of-government approach 
that is essential to countering complex drug trafficking networks.
  When it comes to HIDTA's great work, I speak with some experience. 
For years, I have held fentanyl roundtables that bring together 
educators, law enforcement, teenagers, health professionals, and more. 
At every single one of these roundtables, Midwest HIDTA Executive 
Director Dan Neill has sat and listened to the tragic stories of loss 
and the challenges faced by our communities.
  Having spent a career in drug and law enforcement, Mr. Neill connects 
with my constituents in the Kansas Third District, and all of those in 
his six-state region, to ensure that the Midwest HIDTA provides the 
top-notch coordination and leadership that is fighting the fentanyl 
epidemic and has led to a reduction in overdose deaths. But just as 
HIDTA has supported us, we must support HIDTA.
  If we want to continue building on the progress we've made and 
continue saving lives, we must resist calls to reposition HIDTA or cut 
its funding. I am grateful for the heroic work of HIDTA and the 
program's proven impact. I urge my colleagues in Congress to provide 
full support for this worthy and lifesaving program.

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