**The Trump Administration’s proposed budget for FY2026 would cut HIDTA funding by $102 million, a cut greater than one-third of the program’s entire budget from FY2025.**
Washington, D.C. – Congresswoman Maggie Goodlander (NH-02) and Congressman Chris Pappas (NH-01) are calling on House leadership to fully fund the High-Intensity Drug Trafficking Area (HIDTA) program following the news that the Trump Administration’s proposed budget for FY2026 would cut HIDTA funding by $102 million, a cut greater than one-third of the program’s entire budget from FY2025.
There are 33 HIDTAs throughout the country, serving all 50 states. The program provides essential coordination assistance to federal, state, local, and tribal law enforcement agencies in critical drug-trafficking regions to reduce drug trafficking. Hillsborough and Rockingham counties in New Hampshire are both part of the New England HIDTA (NEHIDTA).
In the letter, the members wrote, “These partnerships represent the best of interagency coordination to respond to the most serious drug threats to the region… without full funding, HIDTAs will be unable to complete their mission.”
In 2024 the HIDTA program seized 4.1 million pounds of fentanyl and other drugs and disrupted or dismantled 3,209 drug trafficking or money laundering organizations, stopping traffickers from making an estimated $17.7 billion in illicit profits. For every dollar invested in the HIDTA program, taxpayers receive a $68.07 return on investment, showing that HIDTA is not only a critically important component of America’s drug interdiction efforts but also an effective and efficient use of funding.
They also highlighted the concerns of local communities and law enforcement, writing, “Local partners have also raised their concerns. The Administration’s request to cut HIDTA funding by $102 million dollars has also received 67 letters of opposition and counting from police departments, sheriffs’ associations, police chiefs’ associations, associations of narcotics enforcers, and non-profits. We urge you to heed our collective call and ensure that HIDTAs receive the full funding and structural support needed to protect our communities.”
Read the full letter here.
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