Goodlatte Statement at Oversight Hearing on the DEA and ATF

Washington, D.C. – House Judiciary Committee Chairman Bob Goodlatte (R-Va.) today delivered the following remarks during the Crime, Terrorism, Homeland Security, and Investigations Subcommittee hearing on “Oversight of the Drug Enforcement Administration and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.” Chairman Goodlatte: Welcome, Acting Administrator Rosenberg and Acting Director Brandon.  I thank you for your service, and I’m happy you are here with us today. In April 2015, during the tenure of DEA’s former Administrator, I was very concerned about systemic problems in the DEA disciplinary process which had permeated several levels of management.  At that time, the Inspector General testified about serious misconduct by DEA agents as well as their supervisors.  In addition, over the past two years, the Inspector General has conducted audits and examinations of DEA’s Confidential Source Program, the El Paso Intelligence Center, and DEA’s aviation operations in Afghanistan.  There were numerous findings of mismanagement of resources and significant lapses in oversight.   I am eager to hear what changes you’ve made, Mr. Rosenberg, to rebuild the American public’s trust in the DEA. It is vital that the people have trust in federal law enforcement, because America’s prescription drug and heroin epidemic is severe and growing.  It affects Americans throughout the country, and does not discriminate on the basis of socioeconomic status.  In 2015, there were over 52,000 drug overdose deaths in the United States.  More than 60% of those deaths were attributable to prescription opioids or heroin. Compounding this epidemic are the importation and distribution of synthetic drugs, including several variations of the drug fentanyl.  Although fentanyl has a medical use in certain situations, greedy drug traffickers and their industrial chemists are flooding our country with synthetic versions of fentanyl and other drugs, sending Americans to emergency rooms and unfortunately, often to their deaths. These issues have rightfully gained Congress’s attention.  While Congress has and is taking action to combat opioid abuse and treat addiction, I would like to hear what tools DEA needs in this fight, and what DEA is doing to stop the flow of illegal drugs and to prevent the diversion of prescription drugs into the illicit market. In that same vein, I would like to hear what tools ATF needs to curb the surge in gun violence that has plagued our urban communities in recent years.  We have numerous laws on the books that are there to prevent gun violence and punish those who would use a firearm illegally.  However, it is disheartening that the previous administration chose not to enforce those laws.  In fact, the data show that prosecutions for firearms violations in Fiscal Year 2016 were down 34.6 percent from Fiscal Year 2006.  This trend is simply unacceptable and must be reversed. I am a strong believer in the rights guaranteed by the Second Amendment.  At the same time, I want to ensure that law enforcement is pursuing and prosecuting those who illegally obtain and use firearms.  At a recent meeting with the Attorney General, I brought this issue to his attention, and I look forward to working with him on it. While we know that no agency is without flaws, we cannot ignore those flaws and must work with those agencies to improve their performance and productivity.  That is why I look forward to discussing the recent OIG reports concerning ATF’s use and management of confidential informants and ATF’s handling of information concerning the traffickers of two firearms that were used in the attack in Mexico by members of the “Los Zetas” drug trafficking organization on Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents Victor Avila and Jaime Zapata.  We look forward to hearing what steps ATF is undertaking to address the issues raised in those reports. Acting Administrator Rosenberg and Acting Director Brandon, I thank you again for being here and for your continued service.  I look forward to your testimony regarding the challenges facing DEA and ATF today.