Combating the Fentanyl Epidemic and Other Updates

Dear Neighbors,

I hope this message finds you well. As always, if you have questions or concerns, please contact my office by calling (847) 413-1959, emailing me at [email protected], or sending a message through my website at https://krishnamoorthi.house.gov/contact/email. For more frequent updates, I encourage you to follow me on Twitter (X), Facebook, Instagram, and Threads.

Combating the Fentanyl Epidemic and Supporting those in Recovery

Congressman Krishnamoorthi speaks during his press conference with Cook County officials on combating the fentanyl epidemic. (Click the image above to watch the press conference.)

On Tuesday, I joined several Cook County officials, including Cook County Board of Commissioners President Toni Preckwinkle, at a press conference to address the ongoing fentanyl epidemic across our state. Since taking office in 2017, I’ve been proud to support legislation expanding funding for front-line health care providers and increasing the availability of naloxone. I’ve also secured funding for treatment centers and diversion programs right here in Chicago. But last year, when I was selected as Ranking Member of the Select Committee on the Strategic Competition Between the United States and the Chinese Communist Party (CCP), I also dedicated myself to tackling international aspects of this crisis.

It’s estimated that 97 percent of illegal fentanyl entering the U.S. comes from the People’s Republic of China (PRC). That means that if we stop the flow of fentanyl and its precursors – the chemicals specifically used to make fentanyl – from the PRC, it will save lives in Illinois and across the country. That’s why my Committee spent months investigating the CCP’s role in this crisis, and a few weeks ago, I released a 64-page report summarizing our findings and identifying specific policy solutions to help victims. My investigation revealed that the CCP has not only turned a blind eye towards PRC companies that export fentanyl precursors for clearly illicit purposes, even when the U.S. has provided them with irrefutable evidence, but that it has actually been directly subsidizing the export of such chemicals. That means that CCP policy has been to provide tax breaks to encourage the production of the chemicals fueling the fentanyl epidemic.

In addition to supporting local efforts to address the impacts of the fentanyl epidemic, Congress has a critical role to play in cutting off the supply of these deadly drugs. One of the top legislative recommendations from my investigation was enacting the FEND Off Fentanyl Act, which was signed into law just one week after my Committee released our report and called for the bill’s passage. This is a sanctions and anti-money laundering law that will help combat the fentanyl crisis by targeting opioid traffickers and money launderers, making fentanyl less lucrative for traffickers by making it harder to smuggle and profit from trafficking. While an enormous amount of work remains to be done to end the fentanyl epidemic, the FEND Off Fentanyl Act is an important step forward.

Marking AANHPI Heritage Month with ABC7 Chicago

Congressman Krishnamoorthi speaking with ABC7 Chicago’s Ravi Baichwal on the importance of representation and his personal journey to Congress. (Click the image above to watch the full clip.)

Earlier this month, I had the opportunity to sit down with ABC7 Chicago’s Ravi Baichwal to discuss my journey as an Indian American to the halls of Congress as part of the network’s efforts to highlight Asian American Native Hawaiian Pacific Islander (AANHPI) Heritage Month. During our conversation, I discussed my experience growing up in Illinois, my first taste of public service, and how my journey eventually led me to represent our district in Congress while becoming the first South Asian American to lead a Congressional Committee. As I told Ravi, my life has been shaped by the opportunities my family had to pursue the American Dream of a middle-class life, and my work in Congress has been driven by the goal of expanding those opportunities to every American family. You can read and watch the interview here.

Upcoming Mobile Office Hours

If you are unable to make it to our district office in Schaumburg, our staff are available at mobile office hours throughout the district. Share your concerns, questions, issues and get help navigating federal agencies at convenient locations across the district.

Our Next Wood Dale Office Hours: Wednesday, June 5^th: 10:00am – 1:00pm in the Wood Dale Public Library at 520 N Wood Dale Rd, Wood Dale, IL.

We will continue to hold additional office hours in Wood Dale on the first Wednesday of each month: July 3^rd, August 7^th, September 4^th, October 2^nd, November 6^th, December 4^th.

Our Next Elgin Office Hours: Tuesday, June 11^th: 10:00am – 1:00pm at the Gail Borden Public Library (Elgin Branch) at 270 N. Grove Ave, Elgin, IL.

We will continue to hold additional office hours in Elgin on the second Tuesday of each month: July 9^th, August 13^th, September 10^th, October 8^th, November 12^th, December 10^th.

Our Next Des Plaines Office Hours: Tuesday, June 11^th: 9:30am – 11:30am in the Des Plaines Public Library at 1501 Ellinwood St, Des Plaines, IL.

We will continue to hold additional office hours in Des Plaines on the second Tuesday of every other month: August 13^th and November 12^th.

Stay Updated Through My Social Media Accounts

The best way to stay up to date on these issues beyond our newsletter is through my social media accounts, which I update multiple times each day. You can follow my Twitter (X) here, my Facebook page here, my Instagram here, and my Threads here. Thank you for staying engaged in our community.

Warm Regards,