[Congressional Record Volume 167, Number 133 (Thursday, July 29, 2021)]
[House]
[Page H4254]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                       WORSENING FENTANYL CRISIS

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The Chair recognizes the gentleman from 
Wisconsin (Mr. Fitzgerald) for 5 minutes.
  Mr. FITZGERALD. Madam Speaker, I rise today to talk about a recent 
trip to McAllen, Texas, where I had the opportunity to tour the 
southern border. What stuck out to me most was hearing from border 
agents about the sheer volume of fentanyl that is being seized right 
now.
  In fact, U.S. Customs and Border Protection reported that 1,053 
pounds of fentanyl was seized at the southwest border in June alone. 
That is more than the last three Junes combined.

                              {time}  1015

  Following my trip, I introduced an amendment at a Judiciary Committee 
markup to ensure that penalties are maintained for criminals convicted 
of fentanyl possession. This amendment should have been a slam dunk, 
but it was not adopted.
  I question or challenge my colleagues who voted against this. We must 
find a way of stopping the flow of fentanyl. However, I suspect because 
most do not want to confront this issue at the border, that they are 
not going to address this issue.
  In the absence of action, there is going to be no winners on this 
issue, only families who continue to grapple with the consequences 
firsthand.

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