Despite China banning fentanyl exports to the United States in 2019, it is still a major source of the illicit drug.
WASHINGTON—The House on Sept. 2 overwhelmingly passed a bill seeking to stop the flow of fentanyl from China.
The tally was 407–4.
The Stop Chinese Fentanyl Act, introduced by Rep. Andy Barr (R-Ky.), would impose sanctions on Chinese producers of synthetic opioids and opioid precursors.
It would amend the Fentanyl Sanctions Act by allowing the U.S. government to implement sanctions on Chinese individuals and entities tied to producing, selling, financing, or transporting synthetic opioids or their precursor chemicals. It would also hold accountable those who refuse to cooperate with U.S. counternarcotics efforts to detect or prevent opioid trafficking.
“The Chinese Communist Party plays a prominent role in every step of the fentanyl crisis, from producing precursor chemicals to laundering cartel profits that fund the illegal trafficking into the United States,” said Barr in a Jan. 30 statement.
In the 2024 fiscal year, the United States seized more than 27,000 pounds of fentanyl, most of the confiscations happening at the southern border, according to the Department of Homeland Security.
Despite China banning fentanyl exports to the United States in 2019, it is still a major source of the illicit drug, which is known to make its way across the southern border through Mexican cartels.
“The tragic opioid epidemic in America is fueled by fentanyl shipped over from China and smuggled into our communities through Mexico,” said Rep. Greg Murphy (R-N.C.) in a Jan. 30 statement. “We cannot allow this devastation to continue and must stand up to the Chinese Communist Party.”
The bill would require the president to submit a periodic evaluation to Congress if the commander-in-chief declares a national emergency with respect to the issue of Chinese fentanyl.
