April 25, 2018

Manchin Urges Attorney General Jeff sessions to Restore DEA Authority and HElp Fix Bureau of Prisons Staffing Shortages in West Virginia

Washington, D.C. – U.S. Senator Joe Manchin (D-WV) questioned Attorney General Jeff Sessions today at the Appropriations Subcommittee on Commerce, Justice, Science, and Related Agencies. He spoke with the Attorney General about the Bureau of Prisons staffing shortages in West Virginia, the pay and benefits of the FBI police force and restoring the DEA’s authority to prevent opioids from entering the market.

“Attorney General Jeff Sessions and the Justice Department lead a successful raid in Huntington that helped shut down a large drug trafficking ring and I thanked him for his leadership and his department’s work on it. On the fight against the opioid epidemic, Attorney General Sessions committed to working with me to draft language that will reestablish the DEA’s full authority to stop opioid manufacturers and distributors from flooding our communities with opioid medications, which has happened too many times in West Virginia. I also made sure that he knew that augmentation is just not going to cut it in West Virginia. We need to increase our staffing numbers and stop relying on augmentation,” said Senator Manchin.

To watch his questioning, click here.

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