US lawmakers propose set of bills to hit China over fentanyl trade

US Governors and State Legislators’ Shifting Approaches Toward China Since 2022

Even as Beijing and Washington stressed the importance of subnational exchanges, states stepped up efforts to mitigate perceived risks from China.

Lawmakers target China’s role in US fentanyl crisis with new legislation

Synthetic opioids, particularly fentanyl, continue to kill tens of thousands of Americans annually. In 2023, an estimated 74,000 people in the U.S. died from fentanyl overdoses, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). That figure is slightly down from 2022 when the CDC recorded more than 76,000 deaths. Now, a bipartisan group of lawmakers is looking to crack down on China’s involvement in the United States' fentanyl cr…

Fentanyl floods central Iowa streets, prompting major law enforcement action

Law enforcement agencies executed over a dozen opioid search warrants in central Iowa, highlighting the growing fentanyl crisis.

DHS announces new partnership to build fentanyl detection tools

The Department of Homeland Security revealed Thursday a new partnership with the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory to develop technology to detect fentanyl. The $2.8 million award, which was offered by DHS’s Science and Technology Directorate, is expected to last three years. The collaboration with the Department of Energy’s PNNL — news that was shared first with FedScoop — will build on prior DHS work with the Department of the Interior foc…

U.S. Rep. Auchincloss joins Republican colleagues in bringing fentanyl fight to China

A Bay State Congressman reached across the aisle this week to join his Republican colleagues in offering legislation to stop the flow of deadly fentanyl into the U.S. from China. U.S. Rep. Jake Auchincloss, joined by U.S. Reps. Dan Newhouse (R-WA), John Moolenaar (R-MI), and Raja Krishnamoorthi (D-IL), announced they will offer three bills focused on stopping the lethal drug problem where it starts. Late on Tuesday the lawmakers announced that t…

House Lawmakers Introduce 3 Bills Targeting China’s Role in US Fentanyl Crisis

WASHINGTON—A bipartisan group of House lawmakers has introduced three bills to tackle China’s export of fentanyl precursors that are fueling American overdose deaths, an issue that President-elect Donald Trump has vowed to address after taking office. The House Select Committee on the Chinese Communist Party established a fentanyl policy working group in June to raise awareness of the Chinese Communist Party’s (CCP’s) role in the U.S. fentanyl c…