Press Releases

WASHINGTON, D.C.— Today, House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence Chairman Rick Crawford (AR-01) and Speaker Mike Johnson announced the establishment of a Cartel Task Force within the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence, which will be led by Congressman Dan Crenshaw (TX-02). The Cartel Task Force will support House Republicans’ efforts to build consensus with the U.S. Senate and the Trump Administration around identifying necessary legislative actions to combat the threat from the dangerous cartels in the Western Hemisphere involved in narcotics trafficking, human trafficking, the arms trade, and other illegal and destabilizing activities.

Following last month’s open full Committee hearing to examine the annual assessment of worldwide threats, it was made very clear by the top IC leadership that the wide array of illicit activities cartels are engaging in endanger the health, safety, and well-being of all Americans. The creation of the Cartel Task Force is the Committee’s actionable response to combat the top threats outlined in the ODNI’s 2025 Annual Threat Assessment. 

"I’m glad to see Chairman Crawford build on Republicans’ promise to secure the border by establishing a new Cartel Task Force, led by Congressman Dan Crenshaw. President Biden handed operational control of our southern border to Mexican drug cartels and left Americans with the worst border catastrophe in our nation’s history. President Trump’s swift work to end the lawlessness and reestablish control has proven that strong leadership matters," said Speaker Johnson.

“Now it is the responsibility of Congress to ensure this good work can continue by providing the President with the tools he needs to dismantle the drug cartels for good. No one has worked harder on this important issue than Congressman Crenshaw, and I am grateful he is willing to continue leading at this pivotal time," continued Speaker Johnson.

“After decades of ineffective or incomplete responses, the cartels and other transnational criminal organizations have become emboldened by the gray space in which they were permitted to operate,” said Chairman Crawford. “From trafficking illicit drugs, precursor chemicals, and illegal aliens into our country and often turning the Mexican side of the border into a war zone, the threat cartel organizations pose is a national security nightmare. Further, our regional partners need our help in addressing these threats on their streets. The HPSCI Cartel Task Force will work with our Senate colleagues and the Trump administration to support President Trump in his already impactful efforts to combat the cartel threat and secure our homeland. I thank Speaker Johnson for his leadership on this effort and Congressman Crenshaw for agreeing to lead this task force.”

"I’m honored to be entrusted by Speaker Johnson and Chairman Crawford to lead this critical effort to defeat the Mexican cartels," said Congressman Crenshaw. "For the past two years, my Cartel Task Force has conducted in-depth research on what it will take to eliminate this grave threat to our country. With President Trump back in the White House, now is the time to act to ensure that the Administration has the tools and resources it needs to take the fight directly to the cartels that are ravaging our neighborhoods and killing American kids with fentanyl.”

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