Trone’s END FENTANYL Act Passes U.S. House
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
March 8, 2024
Trone’s END FENTANYL Act Passes U.S. House
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, the U.S. House of Representatives passed Congressmen David Trone (D-MD) and Michael Guest’s (R-MS) bipartisan and bicameral Eradicating Narcotic Drugs and Formulating Effective New Tools to Address National Yearly Losses of Life (END FENTANYL) Act.
Since March of 2022, fentanyl overdoses have become one of the leading causes of death for adults aged 18-45, according to data released by the CDC.
“Far too many Americans have lost loved ones to opioid overdoses, and millions more are currently suffering from substance use disorder. Working together, we must do everything we can to stem the flow of illicit fentanyl into our communities,” said Congressman David Trone. “The END FENTANYL Act will allow us to keep inspection practices at the border up to date to better combat this ever-evolving epidemic and save lives. With over 90% of seizures occurring at legal ports of entry and by American citizens, this is a common-sense effort that we can all get behind.”
Strengthening security at legal border crossings is critical to stemming fentanyl trafficking. Over 90% of seizures occur at legal crossing points or interior vehicle checkpoints, not on illegal migration routes, and over 86% of convicted fentanyl traffickers are American citizens, according to the CATO Institute. Just 0.02% of people arrested by Border Patrol for crossing illegally possessed any fentanyl whatsoever.
The END FENTANYL Act would require 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. It also would require the CBP Commissioner to report any changes that are made to the House Committee on Homeland Security and the Senate Homeland Security and Government Affairs Committee.
Congressman David Trone was elected to the House of Representatives in November 2018 to serve the 6th District of Maryland, which includes all or part of Montgomery, Frederick, Washington, Allegany, and Garrett Counties. Trone serves on the Appropriations, Veterans’ Affairs, and Joint Economic Committees. In Congress, Trone is fighting to make progress on issues that matter to Marylanders.
Follow Congressman Trone at @RepDavidTrone for updates on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram.
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