Dod Joint Task Forces to Support Law Enforcement Agencies

Floor Speech

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Mr. GARAMENDI. Madam Speaker, today I introduce legislation to make permanent and expand the U.S. Department of Defense's authority to use funds from the counterterrorism and drug interdiction budgetary account for federal interagency Joint Task Forces.

These DOD Joint Task Forces coordinate the military and federal agencies on counternarcotics, counterterrorism, or counter- transnational organized crime activities. United States Africa Command (AFRICOM) and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service use this Joint Task Forces funding authority to conduct anti-trafficking and poaching activities in Sub-Saharan Africa. As the former Deputy Secretary of the Interior during the Clinton Administration, I strongly support USFWS's International Affairs Program and wildlife conservation work globally, particularly by that agency's law enforcement officers.

Since first authorized by the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2004 (Public Law 108-136), Congress has renewed the authority for these Joint Task Forces several times on a temporary basis. Without Congressional action in the NOAA, this authority will sunset at the end of fiscal year 2022. As chairman of the House Armed Services Subcommittee on Readiness, I plan to make permanently reauthorizing this critical authority a priority during the FY2022 NOAA conference negotiations.

In the House-passed FY2020 NOAA (Public Law 116-92), I secured directive report language on the military's support for combating illicit trafficking, including wildlife and wildlife products. Making the authority for these Joint Task Forces permanent builds upon that work.

Madam Speaker, I look forward to continue working with my colleagues on the House Armed Services Committee to support AFRICOM's efforts with other federal agencies to combat wildlife trafficking and poaching.

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