Recognizing the Crucial Work of the High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area Program

Floor Speech

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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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