WASHINGTON—Today, U.S. Senator Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH), Ranking Member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, delivered opening remarks at a full committee hearing, “Dismantling Transnational Criminal Organizations in the Americas.” In her remarks, Ranking Member Shaheen underscored the threat posed by illicit transnational criminal organizations and issued a sharp rebuke of the Trump Administration’s policies that have ceded ground to China in the hemisphere.
You can watch her opening remarks here.
“Last week, the Foreign Relations Committee released a minority report, [The Price of Retreat,] detailing China’s gains in the wake of the Trump Administration’s program cuts,” said Ranking Member Shaheen. “And one of the findings, that I hope that you all are testifying this morning will address, was that after the Administration eliminated counter-narcotics and law enforcement programs, China pledged to deepen its law enforcement trainings across the Western Hemisphere. And that’s concerning because China’s isn’t just trying to fight drug trafficking or combat transnational criminal groups. It’s also working to influence how these countries conduct police operations and write laws in a way that favors Beijing—things like relaxing anti-corruption efforts. Cartels thrive in environments of weak financial oversight and off-the-books deals. So, relaxing the U.S. Foreign Corrupt Practices Act or eliminating the anti-corruption coordinator, those are wins for the cartels as well as China.”
Ranking Member Shaheen also highlighted the impact of cutting USAID programs on recruitment and the importance of U.S. allies in combatting criminal organizations.
“Taking on transnational criminal organizations is no easy task, as I'm sure you will speak to today,” said Ranking Member Shaheen. “Cutting successful U.S. programs doesn’t help—like the USAID program in Colombia, which steered young people away from joining these criminal groups, cutting off a key source of labor and support for cartels over the long term. Another successful example was Guatemala’s program for incinerating fentanyl precursor chemicals, supported by the Bureau of International Narcotics and Law Enforcement at the State Department. If we are serious about fighting global criminal groups, we need to work with our allies. They share our concerns, and they're stepping up.”
The Ranking Member’s remarks, as delivered, are below.
Well thank you, Mr. Chairman, and welcome to our witnesses today. The United States has had a long, bipartisan tradition of combating drug cartels but despite decades of different approaches and billions in investment, criminal cartels are as strong as ever today. They have expanded beyond drugs to operate illicit, multi-billion-dollar networks across international borders—including our own. They smuggle migrants and illegally mine gold, they run scams and launder profits using cryptocurrencies and they use violence, as the Chairman has said, to terrorize communities, not only across Latin America but across much of the world.
[Chairman Risch] mentioned Mexico—according to the Council on Foreign Relations, since 2018, cartels have killed more than 30,000 people a year there. The instability that cartels create has far-reaching consequences. It damages democratic and legal institutions, it threatens human rights—especially women, it puts pressure on people across Latin America to migrate to safety and it allows deadly drugs like fentanyl to flood American communities.
As you heard from the Chairman, he and I both take this threat very seriously. We've worked together to introduce legislation to curb fentanyl imports from China. But unfortunately, recent Administration policies have undermined our ability to pressure China to follow through on its commitment to stem the flow of precursor chemicals. Last week, the Foreign Relations Committee released a minority report, [The Price of Retreat,] detailing China’s gains in the wake of the Trump Administration’s program cuts. And one of the findings, that I hope that you all are testifying this morning will address, was that after the Administration eliminated counter-narcotics and law enforcement programs, China pledged to deepen its law enforcement trainings across the Western Hemisphere. And that’s concerning because China’s isn’t just trying to fight drug trafficking or combat transnational criminal groups. It’s also working to influence how these countries conduct police operations and write laws in a way that favors Beijing—things like relaxing anti-corruption efforts. Cartels thrive in environments of weak financial oversight and off-the-books deals. So, relaxing the U.S. Foreign Corrupt Practices Act or eliminating the anti-corruption coordinator, those are wins for the cartels as well as China.
Taking on transnational criminal organizations is no easy task, as I'm sure you will speak to today. Cutting successful U.S. programs doesn’t help—like the USAID program in Colombia, which steered young people away from joining these criminal groups, cutting off a key source of labor and support for cartels over the long term. Another successful example was Guatemala’s program for incinerating fentanyl precursor chemicals, supported by the Bureau of International Narcotics and Law Enforcement at the State Department.
If we are serious about fighting global criminal groups, we need to work with our allies. They share our concerns, and they're stepping up. Canada, for example, has appointed a Fentanyl Czar in negotiations with President Trump. And with the right policies, the United States can confront the threat that’s posed by transnational criminal organizations. I appreciate that we are holding this hearing today. Thank you both for being here. I look forward to hearing your thoughts and ideas.
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