Reports

The United States faces two simultaneous nationwide public health emergencies: the opioid epidemic and the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. Recently released Centers for Disease Control and Prevention data identified that in 2018, there were nearly 47,000 opioid-related overdose deaths in the United States. In addition, as of May 28, 2020, over 100,000 U.S. citizens had died from complications related to COVID-19. Because of the widespread transmission of COVID-19, Federal, State, Tribal, and local government agencies have recommended and implemented extensive community mitigation activities, including issuing orders to residents to stay at home and practice social distancing, to help slow and contain the spread of the virus. We plan to identify the challenges that opioid treatment programs (OTPs) are encountering during the COVID-19 pandemic. In addition, we will identify the actions that OTPs are taking to address those challenges while ensuring the continuity of needed services and protecting the health and safety of their clients and staff.

We plan to begin this audit in May 2020. The objective of this audit is to assess DoD’s implementation of section 3610 as authorized by the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act, including whether contracting officers properly authorized and reimbursed contractor costs. We may revise the objective as the audit proceeds, and will also consider suggestions from management for additional or revised objectives.

U.S. Attorney Bill Powell of the Northern District of West Virginia today announced that Ohio County received $58,008 in Department of Justice grants to respond to the public safety challenges posed by the outbreak of COVID-19.

The Department of Justice today filed a friend-of-the-court brief in the Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit in support of a lawsuit by plaintiffs Ron Givens and Christine Bish, two individuals seeking to hold peaceful in-person protests of 500 to 1,000 people with social distancing on the grounds of the California State Capitol Building.

Good morning Chairman Graham, Ranking Member Feinstein, and members of the Committee. Thank you for inviting us to appear before you today to discuss the Department of Justice’s (the Department) efforts to detect and prosecute those who seek to exploit the COVID- 19 pandemic and the economic dislocation it has caused for personal financial gain. We have been tasked by the Attorney General and Deputy Attorney General to lead the Department’s Hoarding and Price Gouging Task Force (Mr. Carpenito) and to coordinate more generally the Department’s response to criminal conduct relating to the COVID...