Today, the House Appropriations Committee unanimously adopted Congresswoman Ashley Hinson's (IA-01) proposal to increase coordination between the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, U.S. Customs and Border Patrol, and the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration, and provide more resources to combat the illicit importation of opioids, including fentanyl, through the Southern Border and international mail facilities.
"According to the CDC, fentanyl is now the leading cause of death for Americans aged 18 to 49. More than 100,000 people are dying per year from overdoses and fentanyl poisonings – opioids are claiming lives in every state,"said Hinson during the markup. "Who is making this illicit fentanyl? China. China is the main source of all illegal fentanyl in the United States. How is it getting into American communities? It’s being illegally shipped through international mail, and it is being trafficked across our Southern Border. The good news is that we have all these agencies doing work on the problem – they just need to be coordinating better. That’s exactly where my amendment comes into play. It takes $15 million from other FDA funds – that’s right, it’s offset – and ensures we are tackling this problem."
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