Stopping Illicit Fentanyl

Every year, more than 1,400 Wisconsin residents lose their lives to opioid overdoses. In 2023 alone, we lost more than 50 members of the Kenosha community to a drug overdose. Many of us know a friend, family member, or neighbor who has been affected by substance abuse.

In Congress, I've worked to fight the rise of drug overdoses, holding roundtables with local law enforcement and community leaders, passing funding to combat the opioid crisis, working to secure the border, and leading more than 100 of my colleagues in the House of Representatives to push the previous administration to act on this crisis.

I want to hear from you:

One challenge in stopping illicit fentanyl is addressing the shipment of fentanyl precursors. Fentanyl precursors are the chemical building blocks of fentanyl that criminals use to create illicit fentanyl. The Drug Enforcement Administration has highlighted that these chemical precursors are often shipped from China to Mexico, and then smuggled into the United States. More tools are needed to help stop the flow of fentanyl and chemical precursors.

This week, the House voted to pass H.R. 747, the Stop Chinese Fentanyl Act. This legislation expands the definition of 'foreign opioid trafficker' to include individuals or entities that:

• Produce, sell, finance, or transport synthetic opioids or precursor chemicals
• Fail to implement "know-your-customer" procedures
• Refuse to cooperate with U.S. counternarcotics efforts.

Expanding the definition of a foreign opioid trafficker will allow the U.S. to target bad actors and help reduce the flow of illicit fentanyl into the United States. 

This bill now heads to the Senate for passage.

Supporting Energy and Water Infrastructure

On Thursday, the House voted to pass H.R. 4553, legislation that sets funding levels for federal energy and water programs. Congress appropriated $57.3 billon to support both defense and non-defense spending, including:

• $33.2 billion to modernize America's nuclear deterrent and strengthen our national security
  • $2.1 billion to support the U.S. fleet and maintain superiority over our adversaries
  • $1.9 billion to reduce the danger of hostile nations or terrorist groups from acquiring nuclear technology
• $24.1 billion to unleash American energy, invest in our waterways, and support critical mineral production
  • $9.8 billion for the Army Corps of Engineers
  • $1.97 billion for flood and storm damage reduction activities
  • $1.5 billion in funding available for Great Lakes Navigation System projects
  • $16.5 million in funding available to Great Lakes Fisheries and Ecosystem Restoration projects
  • $697.5 million to unleash American energy, investing in critical mineral mining technologies, and protecting our electrical grid
• Save taxpayers $766.4 million compared to previous year

Working for Wisconsin Families

This week I stopped at the Walworth County Fair and Oak Creek Lions Festival.

Highlights of law changes made earlier this year:

• Making tax cuts permanent to make life more affordable for working families, saving Wisconsin families $1,500 a year
• Providing a new $6,000 tax deduction for middle- and lower-income seniors ages 65+
  • Phasing out beginning at an annual income of $75,000 for a single filer or $150,000 for joint filers
  • Resulting in no tax on Social Security for 88% of seniors receiving benefits
• Encouraging and rewarding work by ending the federal income taxes on tips and overtime
  • Ending taxes on tips up to $25,000 for individuals making $150,000 or less annually
  • Ending taxes on overtime up to $12,500 for individuals making $150,000 or less annually
• Making the Child Tax Credit permanent and increasing it to $2,200 per child
• Eliminating waste, fraud, and abuse in programs like Medicaid and strengthening them for those the program was designed to serve; children, pregnant women, disabled Americans
  • Requiring able-bodied adult Medicaid recipients without young children to prove they are working, going to school, or volunteering for 80 hours a month to continue receiving benefits
• Protecting and preserving Social Security and Medicare

As always, feel free to contact my office if you have any questions, want to share an opinion, or are having trouble with a federal agency.

On Wisconsin,

Bryan Steil
Member of Congress

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