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U.S. Senator Katie Britt, R-Ala., on Wednesday joined her colleagues on the Senate Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs in unanimously voting to favorably report the FEND Off Fentanyl Act and send the legislation to the full Senate for consideration.
The Fentanyl Eradication and Narcotics Deterrence (FEND) Off Fentanyl Act is a bipartisan bill designed to target the flow of the deadly narcotic into the United States by empowering the U.S. Department of the Treasury to target, sanction, and block the financial assets of transnational criminal organizations trafficking fentanyl. In addition, the proceeds from any seized assets would be used to further the efforts of law enforcement.
Senator Britt is a co-sponsor of the bill alongside Senate Banking Committee Chairman Sherrod Brown, D-Ohio, Ranking Member Tim Scott, R-S.C., Senate Committee on Armed Services Chairman Jack Reed, D-R.I., Ranking Member Roger Wicker, R-Miss., and a bipartisan group of 50 other senators.
“Truly stopping the influx of this deadly poison into our communities, schools, and families means that we have to go after the well-financed, well-organized, and well-connected individuals profiting from fentanyl trafficking,” said Senator Britt. “The fact that this legislation passed the committee unanimously shows that the Senate is working on a bipartisan basis to ensure that we empower the Treasury Department with the tools they need to protect Americans and hold bad actors accountable. I urge Senator Schumer to bring this legislation to the Senate floor with the urgency this crisis demands.”
Fentanyl is now the leading cause of death for Americans under the age of 45, and more than 150 people die each day from overdoses related to fentanyl.
As the Ranking Member of the Homeland Security Subcommittee of the Senate Committee on Appropriations, Senator Britt has led hearings on fentanyl and spoken out against the Biden Administration’s proposed budget cuts to the U.S. Department of Homeland Security.
