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Dear Friend,
This weekend, four Americans were kidnapped in a Mexican border town. They were in Matamoros, Mexico — a stone's throw from American soil — when they were forced into the back of a van. Only two of the Americans were recovered, and the other two were killed. The chaos on the border has indirectly taken thousands of American lives through drug overdoses. Now, two Americans lost their lives as the crisis grows worse by the day. I spoke with Jackie DeAngelis on Fox Business about the steps Republicans are taking to address this problem.
Make no mistake, the consequences of President Biden's border crisis fall squarely on him and his Administration. Their actions to open our border has led to this crisis, and their continued inaction has allowed it to persist. It is evident that the President is not willing to take steps to address the border crisis, but now that Republicans control the House of Representatives, progress to address the crisis is being made.
For two years, Republicans have worked to find the weaknesses that cartels are taking advantage of to control our border and smuggle drugs into the country. For example, a 2019 Government Accountability Office (GAO) report indicated that drug interdiction guidance has not been updated in 20 years, something that has hampered the abilities of our agents. This week, I reintroduced the bipartisan Eradicating Narcotic Drugs and Formulating Effective New Tools to Address National Yearly Losses of life (END FENTANYL) Act, which would require Customs and Border Protection (CBP) to update its manuals at least every three years to identify ways to help prevent drug and human smuggling activity through ports of entry.
The damage that has already been caused by fentanyl is irreparable. Overdoses caused by fentanyl is now the leading cause of death in Americans aged 18 to 45, but we can act to mitigate the continued devastation that the drug is causing in communities across our nation. This bill is a strong step forward in our mission to save as many lives as possible from this deadly drug, and we must continue to work with Customs and Border Protection (CBP) to stop the flow of fentanyl into our communities.
This legislation builds on my work as Vice Chairman of the Committee on Homeland Security to combat the fentanyl epidemic by cutting off its source in Mexico. Last year, I cosponsored another piece of legislation to address this critical issue. That bill would increase the sentence of those found smuggling fentanyl into the U.S. to life in prison.
Teletown Hall
Tomorrow night, I am planning to host a teletown hall where I will be answering questions directly from the people of Mississippi. If you would like to receive a call to join the conversation, please fill out the information below. You will receive a call and be prompted to join the discussion. Thank you, and I look forward to talking to you tomorrow night.
In the News
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