Array
Some people might be surprised to find the leading cause of death among Americans ages 18 to 45 is not heart disease, cancer, motor vehicle accidents, or COVID-19—it is fentanyl. According to the Center for Disease Control (CDC), fentanyl is now the leading cause of death for Americans in this age bracket, and it’s only getting worse. Fentanyl is highly addictive and creates large profit margins for those involved in the manufacturing and dealing of the synthetic opioid. The world’s largest source of illicit fentanyl and fentanyl analogues is China.
A mere 2 milligrams of fentanyl make up a lethal dose for most people—the equivalent to a few grains of salt. Fentanyl is cheaper to make than other opioids, easier to smuggle over borders because of its power in small quantities, and highly addictive. This creates a sizeable business model for the drug ring and a perfect storm for users who can easily get addicted to this lethal drug.
While we continue to work to address the crisis at our southern border and the drug addiction that is sweeping through our communities, it’s important we cut the lethal fentanyl engine off at its source: China. The precursor chemicals making up the essential ingredients of fentanyl and fentanyl-related substances is from China. After being shipped to Mexico, the chemicals are produced into fentanyl-containing tablets and enters the United States via our southern border. It’s estimated China is responsible for over 90 percent of illicit fentanyl found in the United States. We simply cannot allow the lethal fentanyl engine in China to run while communities across America’s heartland are being torn apart.
Even as the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) continues to threaten American democracy and the frontiers of the free world, they refuse to play by their own rules. In 2018, after Washington urged Beijing to stop fueling the opioid epidemic in the United States, China announced all variants of fentanyl would be treated as controlled substances. However, they failed to enforce this and have subsequently continued to deny illicit fentanyl producers are a major source of illicit opioids in the United States despite data pointing to the contrary. We simply cannot trust them to be a responsible stakeholder and address this crisis in good faith. As a member of the House Select Committee on the CCP, it is our goal to expose the pattern of aggression from the CCP and identify the existential threats they hold against the United States. This is one of those threats.
The Select Committee on the CCP will tackle important issues such as the CCP buying up agricultural land in the United States, gathering intelligence from sensitive military bases, disregarding human rights, bullying Taiwan, and stealing our intellectual property—their part in fueling the fentanyl crisis is no different.
I have been a strong leader in fighting the fentanyl epidemic that is plaguing our communities and recognize more must be done to safeguard our communities. We will work to secure our border from the flow of illicit fentanyl and other deadly drugs, support law enforcement so they have the resources they need, and hold the dealers on the streets accountable. At the very top of this lethal food chain are bad actors in China manufacturing fentanyl and the CCP who is allowing their lethal fentanyl engine to run while it kills off thousands of Americans. We must put a stop to this crisis, and knowing our enemy is the first step.
Dan Newhouse represents Washington’s 4th District and is a member of the House Select Committee on Strategic Competition between the United States and the Chinese Communist Party.