State and Local Law Enforcement Officials Protest Cut to Drug Prevention Program

State and local law enforcement officials came to Capitol Hill last week to protest a Trump Administration proposal to move oversight of a drug prevention program from the Office of National Drug Control Policy (ONDCP) to the Justice Department.

The High Intensity Drug Trafficking Areas Program sends millions of federal dollars to 28 task forces across the country. The task forces, composed of state, local and federal law enforcement officers, use the funds to combat drug trafficking in their communities, The New York Times reports.

Under a draft budget plan from the Office of Management and Budget, the $275 million program would be run by federal law enforcement officers.

“In the middle of this huge epidemic, is now the time to start rearranging the deck chairs?” said Chauncey Parker, the director of the program task force in New York City. “ONDCP are the experts and the professionals on this issue, and they’re the best ones from a holistic standpoint to be able to take a look at all of this.”