Rep. Grothman Newsletter- Stiffening Fentanyl Penalties

What's Ahead

1. My Bill to Penalize Fentanyl Traffickers.

2. This Week's Legislative Business.

3. Weekly Roundup.

4. My Contact Information.

My Bill to Penalize Fentanyl Traffickers

As the United States faces multiple crises, such as the humanitarian crisis at the Southern border, inflation and the faltering economy, and rising crime rates, the dramatic increase in drug overdose deaths in the United States has not been given nearly attention by the mainstream media or lawmakers in Washington.

In 2021, we surpassed 100,000 deaths from illegal drug use in this country, largely driven by the use of fentanyl, which is more than double the number of overdose deaths in 2014. This is a large-scale epidemic in need of immediate attention.

Unfortunately, the crisis at our Southern border is in no small part to blame for these rising numbers as unprecedented amounts of deadly fentanyl pour into our country. In fact, a record 379 million doses of deadly fentanyl was seized by the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) in 2022, more than enough to kill every American. Sadly, fentanyl is officially the leading cause of death for Americans ages 18 to 49.

Shockingly, peddlers of fentanyl face extremely moderate penalties and sentencing, especially relative to another deadly drug, methamphetamine. Considering the lethal dose of fentanyl is about 2 milligrams (compared to 200 milligrams of meth), the more lenient punishments for fentanyl traffickers is extremely concerning.

Currently, an offense must involve 400 or more grams of a mixture or substance containing fentanyl to trigger a 10-year mandatory minimum sentence. Because the lethal dose of fentanyl is about 2 milligrams, the offense would need to contain roughly 200,000 lethal doses.

By comparison, to trigger the 10-year mandatory minimum for meth, the offense would have to involve at least 500 grams, which contains roughly 2,500 lethal doses. In other words, a criminal convicted of trafficking 175,000 lethal doses of fentanyl would face a less severe sentence than a criminal caught with 2,500 lethal doses of methamphetamine.

This discrepancy illustrates that current penalties for fentanyl-related offenses are not sufficient because they are not equivalent to their danger to Americans' health.

In an effort to protect lives by keeping fentanyl out of our communities, the first bill I have introduced to the 118th Congress is the Standardizing Thresholds Of Penalties for (STOP) Fentanyl Act, a bill that will increase the severity of penalties for people convicted of trafficking this deadly drug. With stiffer penalties, we're aiming to deter criminals from even attempting to bring it across the border.

Fentanyl is tearing families apart in what has become the deadliest drug overdose crisis in American history. This bill will bring a sorely-needed increase to the penalty of trafficking deadly fentanyl.

This Week's Legislative Business

With the holidays behind us and the 118th Congress underway, I want you to know I'm supporting legislation to improve the state of our nation.

Specifically, we voted on three bills this week that I want to highlight for you:

Family and Small Business Taxpayer Protection Act
- Revokes funding made available to the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) through the Inflation Reduction Act that will enable them to target middle-income families with increased audits.
Born-Alive Abortion Survivors Protection Act
- Requires health care practitioners provide infants who survive an attempted abortion with the same standard of medical care as any other newborn.
Establishing the Select Committee on the Strategic Competition Between the United States and the Chinese Communist Party
- Establishes a Select Committee on China to drive policy debate in Congress and prompt the White House to consider its approach to Beijing in a clearer light.
- This Committee, which was authorized with overwhelming bipartisan support, will provide reports to House leadership or any committee regarding the results of its investigations and studies including detailed findings, policy recommendations, and legislative proposals on strategies to combat China's influence in the United States and on the world stage.

As always, I'm fighting for a commonsense approach in policy that will best serve Wisconsin families, employees, students, small business owners, and the United States as a whole. Throughout the 118th Congress, I will support substantive legislation that will produce positive results, including defending the American taxpayers, protecting life, and holding China accountable.

Weekly Roundup

With the 118th Congress underway, the People’s House has finally reopened to visitors.

If you’re in Washington DC, I encourage you to stop by my office and say hello!

It has become common practice for illegal immigrants to exploit loopholes in our broken immigration system to be let into the interior of the United States. After two years of chaos and confusion, President Biden needs to work with Congress to restore safety and security at the Southern border.

Click the image above for more information

On Monday, we celebrated National Law Enforcement Appreciation Day. It's always my honor to show gratitude toward our heroic law enforcement officers nationwide. These brave men and women put themselves at risk every day so the rest of us can live safely.

Contact Me

As your Congressman, I’m here to serve you. If you have any questions please don’t hesitate to reach out to my offices in Fond du Lac and Washington. If you enjoyed this newsletter, be sure to forward it to your family and friends so they can stay informed on what I’m doing in Washington and the 6th District, and let them know that they can subscribe by clicking here.

You can also stay up-to-the-minute by following me on Facebook (Congressman Glenn Grothman), Twitter (@RepGrothman) and Instagram (@RepGlennGrothman).

Sincerely,

Glenn Grothman
Member of Congress