Damon Paul Nelson and Matthew Young Pollard Intelligence Authorization Act for Fiscal Years and 2020
Floor Speech
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Ms. SPANBERGER. Mr. Chair, I rise in opposition to the amendment, although I am not opposed.
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Ms. SPANBERGER. Mr. Chair, I am proud to introduce this amendment alongside my colleague, Congressman Hurd from Texas, who is also a former CIA case officer.
Our bipartisan amendment, the Trafficking and Smuggling Intelligence Act, comes at a time of great hardship, violence, and heartbreak across Mexico and the Northern Triangle countries and at a time of crisis at our southern border.
The volatility in our backyard should be cause for serious concern. Here in the United States, we have experienced the devastating effects of the drug trade on the health of our citizens. On our southwest border, we have witnessed how ongoing violence and instability in Central America is a driving factor for increased migration toward the United States.
Our bipartisan amendment would require intelligence assessments of drug trafficking organizations, human trafficking organizations, and human smugglers across Mexico and the Northern Triangle.
These would include reports that could be released publicly to the American people.
Our amendment would direct our public servants to use their expertise to better understand the root causes of violence, instability, and migration. With these improved assessments from DNI, we would be able to strengthen our national security in the face of threats from traffickers, smugglers, and other criminal organizations.
Like so many of our colleagues, Congressman Hurd and I recognize that if we are to keep Americans safe while also responsibly addressing the situation at the border, we must address the conditions at the core of the instability we are seeing in Central America.
Mr. Chairman, I urge my colleagues on both sides of the aisle to join us in supporting this amendment, and I yield back the balance of my time.
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