Clinton Seeks Increase in ONDCP Staff and Funding

ONDCP April 1996

In a reversal of cuts he made three years ago, President Clinton agreed to requests submitted by the Director of the Office of National Drug Control Policy Gen. Barry McCaffrey to increase his staffing and budget (Ann Devroy, "About-Face: Clinton to Restore Staff He Cut From Anti-Drug Office," Washington Post, March 6, 1996, p. A15; "New Czar, Money for Drug War," USA Today, March 7, 1996, p. 5A).

The President told McCaffrey to draw up spending plans for an additional $250 million in anti-drug programs. Clinton requested an additional $3.4 million from Congress to hire 80 new staffers. The office will also get 30 people detailed from the Pentagon, boosting the staff from 40 to 150. Clinton also signed off on Gen. McCaffrey's request to move the office from a building near the New Executive Office building into the Old Executive Office building.

Just three years ago, in an effort to cut White House staff by 25 percent, Clinton reduced the number of ONDCP employees from 146 to 21.