[Congressional Record Volume 168, Number 24 (Monday, February 7, 2022)]
[House]
[Page H979]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                 CONGRESS MUST END THE FENTANYL CRISIS

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The Chair recognizes the gentleman from 
Wisconsin (Mr. Steil) for 5 minutes.
  Mr. STEIL. Mr. Speaker, 64,000 Americans died from fentanyl and its 
analogs in a recent 12-month period. It is the leading cause of death 
in the United States for individuals aged 18 to 45. Fentanyl has killed 
more people aged 18 to 45 than car accidents, than suicide, than COVID. 
Again, it killed 64,000 Americans in a 12-month period.
  I recently spoke to two parents who lost a child to fentanyl.
  Congress must act.
  What is fentanyl? Fentanyl and fentanyl analogs are synthetic opioids 
that have a real risk of abuse and dependence. It is an unusually 
dangerous and an unusually deadly drug, and many of the victims are not 
even aware they are taking it.
  Where are the drugs coming from? This drug is often manufactured in 
high quantities in China and is pouring across our southern border. And 
it is getting worse.
  Last year, fentanyl seizures across our southern border increased by 
over 1,000 percent. Border agents captured 588 pounds of this drug. To 
conceptualize that, that is enough to kill 133 million Americans.
  I have been to the southern border, and I have spoken firsthand to 
the men and women of Border Protection about the increased drugs coming 
across our southern border.
  We must secure our border. We cannot stand by and watch as Americans 
are killed by fentanyl and its analogs.
  We should continue to be focused on limiting the flow of fentanyl 
coming into our country. We should be raising awareness of the lethal 
effects of fentanyl. We should be helping local law enforcement and our 
first responders work to address this crisis.
  In 11 days, fentanyl analogs and related substances will no longer be 
a schedule I drug. The fentanyl analogs schedule I status expires on 
February 18, in 11 days.
  Congress previously kicked the can down the road and temporarily 
extended fentanyl analogs as a schedule I drug last May, but that 
expires in 11 days.
  If fentanyl analogs are not extended or made permanent soon, law 
enforcement officers will have a hand tied behind their back from 
stopping fentanyl from killing Americans.
  Yet Speaker Pelosi continues to refuse to bring the HALT Act, 
critical legislation, to this floor to make scheduling permanent. We 
need to make scheduling fentanyl analogs permanent.
  I call upon my fellow Members of Congress to help us end the fentanyl 
crisis.

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