RELEASE: AUCHINCLOSS APPOINTED CO-CHAIR OF NEW BIPARTISAN FENTANYL POLICY WORKING GROUP
WASHINGTON, D.C. — Today, Chairman John Moolenaar (MI-02) and Ranking Member Raja Krishnamoorthi (IL-08) announced Rep. Jake Auchincloss (MA-04) as the Co-Chairman of the Select Committee on the Strategic Competition Between the United States and the Chinese Communist Party’s new Fentanyl Policy Working Group.
Auchincloss will lead the Fentanyl Policy Working Group alongside Rep. Dan Newhouse (WA-04). The Policy Working Group (PWG) will be focused on combating the Chinese Communist Party's role in the fentanyl epidemic. It will be charged with raising awareness of the CCP's role in the fentanyl crisis through Committee events and producing legislation to combat the threat. Its work will start immediately and will build upon the Select Committee's April report which revealed, among other things, that the Chinese Communist Party is subsidizing the export of deadly fentanyl into the United States.
“The Chinese Communist Party (CCP) and the Mexican drug cartels are poisoning Americans to death through fentanyl exports. Families are devastated and first responders are demoralized. The U.S. government must respond forcefully at every link of the supply chain, beginning with China. The CCP has been subsidizing and facilitating the export of fentanyl precursors, while stiff-arming American requests for law enforcement. This must end. The China Select Committee’s fentanyl working group will drive policy to interdict fentanyl at its source," said Rep. Auchincloss.
"Combating our nation’s synthetic opioid crisis must be a top priority not only for the Members of our Select Committee, but for every Member of Congress. Our new working group will double down on our efforts to stop the flow of fentanyl and its precursors into the U.S. from the PRC while saving American lives. It’s time to get to work," said Ranking Member Krishnamoorthi.
“Earlier this spring, the Select Committee uncovered new evidence showing how the Chinese Communist Party directly fuels America’s fentanyl crisis. China has programs in place to reward companies with subsidies for exporting fentanyl and other drugs illegal under Chinese law to the United States. It is now abundantly clear that the CCP is not just turning a blind eye to the fentanyl crisis, it is causing it. That is why I am establishing a bipartisan Select Committee fentanyl working group to determine what must be done to seek justice for the hundreds of thousands of victims and hold the CCP responsible for funneling this poison into American communities. Congressmen Newhouse and Auchincloss bring valuable experience on this issue, and I am thankful for their leadership of our new working group,” said Chairman Moolenaar.
“Fentanyl is the leading cause of death for people ages 18-45 in the United States, and we now know the Chinese Communist Party is the force behind that crisis,” said Rep. Newhouse. “From funding the manufacturing and export of illicit fentanyl precursor chemicals to holding ownership interest in companies tied to drug trafficking, the CCP is not only an active participant in the drug trade—they are directly incentivizing it. While the CCP continues to economically enrich themselves at the expense of the health and safety of millions of Americans, it is imperative that the United States sends a clear message: the buck stops here. I applaud Chairman Moolenaar for his leadership on this issue and look forward to leading my fellow working group members in cracking down on the CCP’s influence here at home.”
Specifically, the Fentanyl Policy Working Group will work to:
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Codify, strengthen, and impose sanctions on entities involved in the fentanyl trade.
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Enact and employ trade and customs enforcement measures to restrict fentanyl trafficking.
- Close regulatory and enforcement gaps exploited by PRC money launderers and fentanyl traders.