On the recordAugust 8, 2021
the distinguished Senator from Illinois, the chairman of the Judiciary Committee, could resolve this issue in the next hour; and I would lift my hold if he would simply ask the Attorney General of the United States to answer my letter, which I sent 4 months ago, which we have received no response to. Drug overdoses have taken the lives of 93,000-plus Americans in the last year alone. Most of those drugs come across the southern border from Mexico, including heroin, which is an opioid, which together with prescription drugs--which we know have been widely abused--is a serious threat to the health, safety, and welfare of the American people. I simply want to make sure that American companies are not complicit in selling precursor chemicals that produce this poison, that is then imported into the United States and has taken so many American lives. This is, as I said, no reflection on the nominee himself. But as the distinguished Senator from Illinois knows, Senators have very few tools, very little leverage to actually get the executive branch to do what they are obligated to do, which is simply to respond to our inquiries and our letters. That is a simple matter. This does not implicate the safety and security of the Federal judiciary, as the Senator knows. This is an administrative position, and we all support the safety and security of all of our judicial officials.…
