Bipartisan Bill Would Also Declare Fentanyl Trafficking A National Emergency
WASHINGTON, DC – Today, the bipartisan Fentanyl Eradication and Narcotics Deterrence (FEND) Off Fentanyl Act, legislation co-sponsored by U.S. Senator Jacky Rosen (D-NV), advanced out of the Senate Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs, and can now be considered by the Senate. This bipartisan bill would help combat fentanyl trafficking by requiring the President to sanction drug rings involved in international drug trafficking, including chemical suppliers in China and cartels from Mexico. It would also crack down on fentanyl-related money laundering and declare fentanyl trafficking a national emergency, freeing up additional federal resources to combat the fentanyl drug crisis in the U.S.
“Illegal fentanyl trafficking is killing thousands of people in Nevada and across our country each year, and we must put an end to this crisis by stopping the flow of fentanyl into our nation,” said Senator Rosen. “I’m glad to see our bipartisan legislation to sanction fentanyl traffickers has advanced out of committee and I will continue working to see that it becomes law.”
Senator Rosen has been a leader in the fight to end fentanyl trafficking. Earlier this year, Senator Rosen helped introduce the bipartisan Eradicating Narcotic Drugs and Formulating Effective New Tools to Address National Yearly Losses of Life (END FENTANYL) Act, which would help end drug smuggling by requiring the Commissioner of U.S. Customs and Border Protection to update its drug interdiction guidance at least once every three years. Senator Rosen also co-led the Department of Homeland Security Opioid Detection Resilience Act, which was signed into law in 2020, to ensure Homeland Security personnel would have adequate chemical screening devices for synthetic opioid detection.
###
