Cass Ballenger: “Mr. Chairman, as a person who has been heavily involved in the drug war in Central and South America, I want to speak…”

“Mr. Chairman, as a person who has been heavily involved in the drug war in Central and South America, I want to speak out in praise of the work of the Coast Guard. In their effort to reduce the drug flow into the United States, no one has done more and received less recognition than the United States Coast Guard. They work to interdict the fast boats that cover the Caribbean with the flood of drugs and should be commended for the results that they have shown. If other branches of the services were doing a comparable job of fighting this war, we would be in a much stronger position to face the future. The Coast Guard continues to deliver services without complaint in spite of the shortages of funds provided to them and the difficulties and dangers in their job. I wish other government participants would demonstrate the same level of commitment to fighting the war on drugs as the U.S. Coast Guard. Today I stand to applaud their efforts and urge this Congress to renew its commitment to this valued service.”