President Biden and Congressional Democrats’ open border policies have allowed fentanyl to flow across our southern border and into our communities. In FY21, enough fentanyl was seized by Customs and Border Protection to kill every American nearly seven times over.
Instead of addressing the fentanyl crisis gripping our nation, Speaker Pelosi and Congressional Democrats are kicking the can down the road by blocking Republican legislation that would effectively ban the selling of the molecularly-altered fentanyl substance manufactured by criminals.
MAKE NO MISTAKE: America’s fentanyl crisis will only become more severe without serious Congressional action.
AMERICA’S FENTANYL CRISIS:
President Biden and Congressional Democrats’ open-border policies have allowed for fentanyl to flow across our borders and into our communities.
Drug overdose deaths in the U.S. topped 100,000 in 2021, for the first time ever in a year.
In 2021, U.S. drug overdoses due to fentanyl skyrocketed, and it is now reported to be the leading cause of death for Americans aged 18-45.
Fentanyl is freely flowing across our borders as seizures increased by 134% in FY2021, under President Biden’s watch.
In FY21, 11,201 pounds of fentanyl were seized by Customs and Border Protection, which is enough to kill every American nearly seven times over.
Fentanyl poising deaths doubled in 30 states between 2019 and 2021, according to an analysis of U.S. government data.
Fentanyl and its analogues are easier to produce than cocaine or heroin – it only takes a few hours to make – and is up to 20 times more profitable. Since small doses of fentanyl create intense effects, it’s easier to illegally smuggle small batches across the border.
Criminal drug cartels are flooding the U.S. with counterfeit pills. More counterfeit pills have been seized so far in 2021 than the previous two years combined, with two out every five pills containing a potentially lethal dose of fentanyl.
So much fentanyl and fentanyl-related poisons are flooding the U.S., the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) issued its first public safety alert in six years warning the public about fake pills laced with lethal doses of fentanyl.
On February 18, 2022, the emergency class-wide scheduling order for fentanyl-related substances is set to expire. Instead of working with House Republicans to address this issue Speaker Pelosi and House Democrats are simply kicking the can down the road.
These poisons can be as deadly and even more dangerous than pure fentanyl. There are deadly consequences if Speaker Pelosi and House Democrats allow this order to expire or continue to kick the can down the road with temporary extensions.
Republicans are taking swift action to make the emergency class-wide scheduling order for fentanyl-related substances permanent and make sure law enforcement has the tools they need to keep extremely lethal and dangerous drugs off our streets and from crossing the border.
Last week House Democrats blocked the common sense “HALT Fentanyl Act,” offered by Reps. Morgan Griffith and Bob Latta which would make it illegal for this drug to be used outside of research purposes, effectively banning the selling of the molecularly-altered fentanyl substance manufactured by criminals.
