Maria Cantwell

11/01/2023 | Press release | Distributed by Public on 11/01/2023 19:56

Cantwell Holds Fentanyl Briefing with Dept. of Homeland Security, ONDCP, and Dept. of Commerce Officials

11.01.23

Cantwell Holds Fentanyl Briefing with Dept. of Homeland Security, ONDCP, and Dept. of Commerce Officials

WASHINGTON, D.C. - Today, U.S. Senator Maria Cantwell (D-WA), chair of the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation, held a briefing on the role of commerce and transportation in the fentanyl crisis for a bipartisan group of committee colleagues. Briefers included representatives from the White House Office of National Drug Control Policy (ONDCP), the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), and the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) at the Department of Commerce (DOC). Photos of today's briefing are available HERE.

"Today we heard from agencies across the federal government about how fentanyl traffickers hide behind legitimate business activities to bring fentanyl precursors into our country. This is a global problem that impacts every corner of our states and the U.S. needs to lead an international response. We must use every tool at our disposal, including the development of new science and technology, to reduce production and distribution of illicit fentanyl," said Sen. Cantwell.

The following officials participated in today's briefing;

  1. Kemp Chester, Senior Policy Advisor for Supply Reduction and International Relations Office of National Drug Control Policy (ONDCP), The White House
  2. Samantha Vinograd, Assistant Secretary for Counterterrorism and Thread Prevention, Department of Homeland Security
  3. Charles Romine, Associate Director for Laboratory Programs, National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), Department of Commerce
  4. Joseph Draganac, Assistant Director, Customs and Border Protection (CBP), DHS
  5. Stacey Fitzmaurice, Executive Assistant Administrator for Operations Support, Transportation Security Administration (TSA), DHS
  6. Rear Admiral Rebecca Ore, Assistant Commandant for Intelligence, U.S. Coast Guard (USCG), DHS
  7. Ricardo Mayoral, Deputy Assistant Director, Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), DHS
  8. Jay Martin, Executive Director, Science and Technology Directorate (S&T), DHS

During the nearly two-hour long briefing, Sen. Cantwell emphasized the level of pain being inflicted on communities across Washington state, and called special attention to the Lummi Tribe, who recently suffered five overdose deaths in one week.

This year, Sen. Cantwell has been conducting a listening tour across Washington state to hear from people on the front lines of the fentanyl crisis. She has made nine stops on the tour so far.

In May, Sen. Cantwell hosted a fentanyl crisis roundtable discussion in Pierce County, followed by a second roundtable discussion in Snohomish County in June; in July, she convened a roundtable in the Tri-Cities, a roundtable in downtown Seattle, and a roundtable in Spokane. In August, Sen. Cantwell hosted roundtables in Vancouver, WA, Port Angeles, Walla Walla, and Yakima.

Earlier this year, Sen. Cantwell led a Commerce Committee markup of S. 1280, the TRANQ Research Act, to help combat the rise in illicit use of xylazine, also known as tranq, which is a new dimension to the fentanyl crisis. It directs the National Institute of Standards and Technology to take steps to enhance understanding of xylazine or tranq and other novel synthetic drugs, develop new tests for detection, and establish partnerships with front-line entities that are often the first points of contact with new street drugs. Sen. Cantwell is a cosponsor of that bipartisan bill, and also cosponsored similar bipartisan language to amend a bill that subsequently passed the Senate by unanimous consent in June.

In July, the Senate passed the FEND Off Fentanyl Act as part of the National Defense Authorization Act. The bill, which Sen. Cantwell cosponsored, would enhance current law so U.S. government agencies can more effectively disrupt illicit opioid supply chains and penalize those facilitating the trafficking of fentanyl. It also declares international trafficking of fentanyl and the precursors used to make it a national emergency.

In addition, in August, Sen. Cantwell attended and spoke at the National Tribal Opioid Summit, a gathering of approximately 900 tribal leaders, health care workers, and first responders from across the country. The summit was organized by the Northwest Portland Area Indian Health Board and the National Indian Health Board and hosted by the Tulalip Tribes and followed a first-ever statewide summit hosted by the Lummi Nation. At the national summit, Sen. Cantwell heard powerful stories from tribal community members with lived experience and discussed the scope and impact of the fentanyl crisis, as well as the pressing need for greater federal assistance for Tribes.

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