Statement of Administration Policy: H.R. 2086 - Office of National Drug Control Policy Reauthorization Act of 2003

STATEMENT OF ADMINISTRATION POLICY

(House)

(Rep. Souder (R) Indiana and Rep. Tom Davis (R) Virginia)

The Administration supports House passage of H.R. 2086. The bill meets the goal of supporting an effective drug policy for the Nation and maintains an effective balance between both supply reduction and demand reduction strategies. The Administration appreciates the House's consideration of this important reauthorization bill. The Administration looks forward to working with the Congress as the bill moves through the legislative process.

The Administration appreciates the efforts of the House to focus the High-Intensity Drug Trafficking Areas (HIDTA) program on areas in which the most significant drug-trafficking threats harmfully impact other parts of the nation. The Administration believes that the Director should have the flexibility to allocate funding to individual HIDTAs based on demonstrated performance and expert assessment of the drug problem in those areas and the Administration believes the program should remain focused on law enforcement rather than treatment. The Administration supports increases in funding in other dedicated treatment programs such as Access to Recovery, which would provide $600 million for treatment over the next three years.

The Administration believes that the Director should retain flexibility to allocate appropriated resources without the bill's specific limits and thresholds for particular activities that pertain to the National Youth Anti-Drug Media Campaign.

The Administration has concerns with the provisions of the bill relating to the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961 that would require substantial duplication the drug country certification process and would also impermissibly interfere with the President's constitutional authority to supervise the unitary executive branch. The budget certification provisions of the bill unduly limit the authority of the President under the Recommendations clause of the Constitution and the Administration will work with Congress to address these and other Constitutional concerns.