Washington, D.C. -On Thursday, March 7, 2019, the Committee on Oversight and Reform will hold a hearing on “The Trump Administration’s Response to the Drug Crisis."
WHERE: 2154 Rayburn House Office Building
WHEN: Thursday, March 7, 2019
TIME: 10:00 a.m.
PURPOSE
The hearing will examine the Office of National Drug Control Policy (ONDCP) during the first two years of the Trump Administration, including the coordination of federal, state, and local responses to the opioid crisis.
The Committee will also examine ONDCP’s compliance with legislation that reauthorized the agency last year. The reauthorization was passed as part of the SUPPORT for Patients and Communities Act. Many of the provisions included in the reauthorization derived from H.R. 5925, the Coordinated Response Through Interagency Strategy and Information Sharing Act (CRISIS Act), which was bipartisan legislation developed by then-Chairman Gowdy and then-Ranking Member Cummings, as well as Reps. Mark Meadows and Gerald Connolly.
BACKGROUND
* According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), “In 2017, there were 70,237 drug overdose deaths in the United States." This is the highest rate of drug overdose deaths ever observed in the United States.
* For two years, the Trump Administration had no drug control strategy-even though the Administration was required by law to issue an annual strategy in both 2017 and 2018.
* On Jan. 31, 2019, the Trump Administration finally issued ) its first National Drug Control Strategy, but it was woefully inadequate and fails to comply with numerous provisions in the law.
* For two years, the Trump Administration had no permanent ONDCP Director. James Carroll was confirmed on Jan. 2, 2019, but appears to have little experience in drug control policy.
WITNESSES
The Honorable James W. Carroll, Jr.
Director
Office of National Drug Control Policy
Triana McNeil
Acting Director, Strategic Issues
Government Accountability Office
Mike McDaniel
Director
Houston High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area
