McCaul Applauds Committee Passage of Bill Aimed To Combat Synthetic Drug Trafficking

Today, the House Foreign Affairs Committee passed H.R. 7990, the FENTANYL Results Act. This bipartisan bicameral piece of legislation was introduced by Congressman David Trone (D-MD) and co-authored by, me, the Lead Republican of the Foreign Affairs Committee. Upon the passage of the bill I gave the following remarks:

Communities across the nation have experienced the devasting impacts of the illicit flow of fentanyl. According to the CDC, in 2018 alone, opioids were involved in more than 46 thousand overdose deaths in the U.S. – we must leverage the full weight of our government to address this issue that impacts so many American families. This legislation will better equip the State Department to combat the international trafficking of synthetic drugs across our borders by increasing information sharing with international drug agencies and creating a program to build the capacity of foreign law enforcement organizations to address this threat. I am very thankful for my colleagues who supported this legislation in the House Foreign Affairs Committee.

The FENTANYL Results Act has a Senate companion bill, which was introduced by Senators Rob Portman (R-OH) and Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH).

The FENTANYL Results Act will:

• Require the Secretary of State to prioritize programs and activities that support increased data collection and multilateral data sharing as well as those that foster greater partnerships with international drug agencies.
• Establish a program to provide assistance to build the capacity of law enforcement agencies of countries in which such assistance would have the most impact in reducing illicit use of covered synthetic drugs in the United States.
• Authorize an exchange program for governmental and nongovernmental personnel in the United States and in foreign countries to provide educational and professional development on demand reduction matters relating to the illicit use of narcotics and other drugs.