Opioid overdoses are up. Trump set to sign Buchanan bill that punishes China for it
A bill that would punish China for supplying American drug dealers with fentanyl and other synthetic opioids is heading to President Donald Trump’s desk.
The U.S. Senate approved Rep. Vern Buchanan’s bipartisan Fentanyl Sanctions Act as part of the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) Tuesday. The U.S. House of Representatives voted to approve the legislation on Dec. 11.
“For too long, fentanyl and other opioids have continued to wreak havoc on communities in Florida and across the country,” Buchanan, R-Longboat Key, said. “We need to hold Beijing accountable for any lack of progress controlling the fentanyl freely flowing out of their country.”
According to a release, the law would impose economic sanctions on Chinese drug manufacturers that knowingly send synthetic opioids to drug traffickers in the United States. Buchanan first proposed the legislation in April with Rep. Seth Moulton, D-Mass.
The passage comes shortly after a statewide report indicated that opioid-related overdoses and deaths are once again on the rise in Manatee County. More than 110 people in county have died from overdoses in 2019.
Buchanan’s proposal will establish a Commission on Combating Synthetic Opioid Trafficking that reports on methods to reduce opioids coming from China, Mexico and other common suppliers. As part of the NDAA, Congress also approved the use of nearly $1 billion to prevent drug trafficking around the world.
“This is a frightening development considering that just a few years ago, the number of overdoses was declining,” Buchanan said in a statement.
Trump is expected to sign the NDAA in the coming weeks.
