U.S. Senator Katie Britt (R-Ala.) recently joined her Senate colleagues in passing the bipartisan Fentanyl Eradication and Narcotics Deterrence (FEND) Off Fentanyl Act. This legislation seeks to stop the flow of deadly fentanyl into our country by choking off the income source of those who traffic synthetic opioids.
Drug overdoses killed 107,000 Americans in 2021, and 65% of those deaths were attributed to fentanyl.
“The devastation that this deadly poison has brought to our communities, schools, and families must end now,” said Sen. Britt. “Truly stopping this nationwide crisis means that we have to go after the well-financed, well-organized, and well-connected individuals profiting from fentanyl trafficking. This bipartisan legislation would ensure that the Treasury Department has the tools they need to protect Americans and hold bad actors accountable. I’m proud to have cosponsored this legislation and grateful to my colleagues for supporting it.”
This legislation was introduced by Ranking Member Senator Tim Scott (R-South Carolina) and cosponsored by Senator Britt, Senate Banking Committee Chairman Sherrod Brown (D-Ohio), Senate Committee on Armed Services Chairman Jack Reed (D-Rhode Island), Ranking Member Roger Wicker (R-Mississippi), and 59 other senators.
“Mexican traffickers and Chinese drug suppliers are fueling America’s fentanyl crisis. My FEND Off Fentanyl Act targets the financial assets of these criminal groups, cutting off their income right at the source,” said Sen. Scott. “By including this bill in the NDAA, we’re one step closer to ensuring our country can defend our communities from this deadly drug and protecting our national security.”
The FEND Off Fentanyl Act is a bill designed to target the flow of the deadly narcotic into the United States by empowering the U.S. Department of the Treasury to target, sanction, and block the financial assets of transnational criminal organizations trafficking fentanyl. In addition, the proceeds from any seized assets would be used to further law enforcement efforts.
“Truly stopping the influx of this deadly poison into our communities, schools, and families means that we have to go after the well-financed, well-organized, and well-connected individuals profiting from fentanyl trafficking,” said Senator Britt. “The fact that this legislation passed the committee unanimously shows that the Senate is working on a bipartisan basis to ensure that we empower the Treasury Department with the tools they need to protect Americans and hold bad actors accountable. I urge Senator Schumer to bring this legislation to the Senate floor with the urgency this crisis demands.”
The FEND Off Fentanyl Act was passed as part of the Fiscal Year 2024 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA).
Fentanyl is now the leading cause of death for Americans under 45, and more than 150 people die each day from overdoses related to fentanyl.
Multiple national organizations have supported the bill, including Mothers Against Prescription Drug Abuse (MAPDA), the American Association for the Treatment of Opioid Dependence, the Fraternal Order of Police, the National Sheriffs’ Association, and FDD Action.
Last year, the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) seized over 379 million deadly doses of fentanyl. That is enough to supply a lethal dose to every American. Given the sharp increase in fentanyl-caused deaths, Scott claims that it is clear that a staggering amount of fentanyl is making its way into our country from the chemical suppliers in the People’s Republic of China (PRC) and drug cartels in Mexico.
Katie Britt is the Ranking Member of the Homeland Security Subcommittee for the Senate Committee on Appropriations. Sen. Britt has led hearings on fentanyl and spoken out against the Biden Administration’s proposed budget cuts to the U.S. Department of Homeland Security.
Britt was elected to the Senate in 2022.
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