[Congressional Record Volume 167, Number 201 (Thursday, November 18, 2021)]
[House]
[Page H6374]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                   OVERDOSE DEATHS REACH RECORD HIGH

  (Mr. GROTHMAN asked and was given permission to address the House for 
1 minute.)
  Mr. GROTHMAN. Madam Speaker, we got horrible news yesterday; for the 
first time in the United States, over 100,000 people died from illegal 
drugs. When I got here 6 years ago, that number was 47,000. By 
comparison, in 12 years, only 58,000 died in the Vietnam War. Almost 
twice as many people die in this country every year from illegal drug 
overdose than died in the entire 12-year period of the Vietnam War.
  Today, we look at a major bill, the Build Back Better Act, and we 
look at what is the effect of the Build Back Better Act on 100,000 
deaths. In this bill, we are encouraging more illegal immigration; we 
are taking more Border Patrol agents off the border and processing 
young people. And finally, in this bill we are encouraging more people 
to come here, which inevitably means more fentanyl, more deaths.
  Madam Speaker, I ask the majority party to please step back, change 
the bill to add a few more Border Patrol agents, and change the bill to 
get out the carrots that are going to encourage more fentanyl and more 
deaths.

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