Political Quotes

“I want to thank my colleague from Georgia for yielding. Mr. Chairman, I rise today in support of my amendment to highlight the importance of the High Intensity Drug Trafficking Areas program that is known as HIDTA. I have had a fair number of conversations with law enforcement throughout my district in west Tennessee, and they have told me time and time again that drug trafficking continues to be one of their main concerns. Along Interstate 40 in Tennessee, we continue to see an increase in drug trafficking. I think we can all agree that the spread of illegal drugs leads to higher crime rates which ultimately increases the financial strain on our local, State, and Federal law enforcement. The HIDTA program provides funding for additional equipment and man- hours to carry out investigations required to arrest these criminals and ultimately stop the flow of drugs. Mr. Chairman, I know that many of my colleagues are experiencing similar situations back home, and they understand just how serious of an issue this is becoming for the safety and security of all Americans. The bottom line is that our law enforcement needs the resources offered by the HIDTA program to help keep us safe. The HIDTA program is also a good first step to combating the opioid epidemic that is plaguing our communities. We must be proactive now because prevention is the best long-term solution.…”