Lawmakers push for new measures to combat fentanyl trafficking in U.S.

More than 71,000 Americans died from fentanyl overdoses and other synthetic opioids in 2021, the Centers for Disease Control reports.

Members of the U.S. House and U.S. Senate are joining together to call on leadership to move forward with new measures to combat illicit fentanyl trafficking in the United States.

U.S. Rep. Abigail Spanberger of Virginia, Sen. Jeanne Shaheen of New Hampshire and David Trone of Maryland are leading House and Senate members. The lawmakers are pushing for the bipartisan FENTANYL Results Act in a letter to the chairman and ranking members of the U.S. House and U.S. Senate Armed Services Committee. The lawmakers request that the legislation be included in the Fiscal Year 2023 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA). The legislation would authorize two programs through the U.S. State Department to help law enforcement detect synthetic drugs and increase global cooperation in the fight against synthetic drug trafficking.

“Fentanyl has become the leading cause of overdose deaths. According to the CDC, in 2021, more than 71,000 deaths involving synthetic opioids occurred in the United States,” the lawmakers said in a press release. “Synthetic opioid-involved death rates increased by over 23 percent from 2020 to 2021. According to the DEA, Mexico and China are the primary source countries for fentanyl and related substances trafficked directly into the United States. The trafficking of fentanyl and other illicit synthetic opioids is a national security threat, which is why the FENTANYL Results Act is critical.”

“The FENTANYL Results Act is an opportunity to demonstrate our commitment to fighting our substance abuse crisis at its root,” the lawmakers said.

Spanberger is a former federal law enforcement officer and CIA case officer.

Spanberger and U.S. Rep. Andrew Garbarino of New York introduced legislation in July 2022 to quadruple research and development into technologies and strategies that deter and interdict fentanyl shipments and strengthen America’s response to fentanyl coming through our nation’s borders and ports.

The House passed legislation by Spanberger in February 2022 to address the root causes of illegal fentanyl production, distribution and sale.