The Day Ahead

President Donald J. Trump is hosting a meeting of his Cabinet before sitting down with the Secretary of Homeland Security this afternoon.

Punishing drug dealers, not victims

In March, President Trump laid out his three-part plan to combat America’s deadly opioid crisis: reducing demand, cutting off illicit suppliers, and expanding opportunities for proven treatment.

A key part of the plan is law enforcement’s role in tackling opioid abuse and halting the spread of addiction in our communities. Earlier this summer, Attorney General Jeff Sessions announced the launch of Operation Synthetic Opioids Surge (SOS), which embraces a zero-tolerance policy toward synthetic opioid trafficking

“I sent more than 300 new assistant US attorneys to districts across America, including one to Maine. It was the largest prosecutor surge in decades,” the Attorney General writes. “Having served as a federal prosecutor for 14 years, I know what a difference that can make.”

This operation punishes the right people: distributors of illegal drugs, not the victims suffering from addiction. For these victims, the Trump Administration is pursuing ways to expand evidence-based treatment, such as ensuring that first responders are supplied with lifesaving medication used to reverse overdoses.

Attorney General Sessions: How law enforcement is taking action on opioids

Share your story: Americans are feeling the weight of the Crisis Next Door

A quiet revolution

Policies can change with each new Administration, but restoring our nation's courts with judges committed to interpreting the law—not creating it—will benefit Americans for years to come.

Supreme Court nominations get the most attention, and Judge Brett Kavanaugh’s confirmation to the High Court will indeed be a landmark win for conservatives. But given the sheer volume of cases in America, lower courts offer the last word in thousands of rulings each year.

“With little fanfare, Trump and [Senate Majority Leader Mitch] McConnell reshape the nation’s circuit courts,” The Washington Post reported this week. “With 24 confirmations and 13 vacancies to fill, Trump and the Republicans have the power to install more than 20 percent of the judges on the nation’s second-highest courts.”

The Senate has already confirmed more of President Trump’s appellate judges than any President during his first two years in office. The result will be a Federal judiciary that is far more committed to the rule of law than to the rule of judges.

“With little fanfare, Trump and McConnell reshape the nation’s circuit courts”

More: What to know about President Trump’s Supreme Court nominee

Photo of the Day

Official White House Photo by D. Myles Cullen

Vice President Mike Pence meets with Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, Supreme Court Nominee Judge Brett Kavanaugh, and former United States Senator Jon Kyl | July 10, 2018