Ricketts-Backed Bill to Fight Fentanyl Crisis Advances with Bipartisan Support

June 28, 2023

WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senator Pete Ricketts (R-NE) announced he recently co-sponsored the FEND (Fentanyl Eradication and Narcotics Deterrence) Off Fentanyl Act, a bipartisan effort led by Senator Tim Scott (R-SC) to fight the flow of deadly fentanyl into our country. The bill aims to choke off the income source of those who traffic in synthetic opioids by directing the Treasury Department to target, sanction, and block the financial assets of transnational criminal organizations and key members of drug cartels involved in international fentanyl trafficking. Recently, the bill passed out of the Senate Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs by a unanimous vote and can now head to the Senate floor.

“Fentanyl is the leading cause of death for people aged 18-45 and the Senate must do everything possible to address this crisis,” Ricketts said. “I am proud to join this bipartisan effort to bring accountability to the drug cartels and chemical manufacturers in Communist China who profit from the deaths of Americans. I call on Majority Leader Schumer to schedule this bill for a floor vote without delay.”

In addition to Ricketts and Scott, the FEND Off Fentanyl Act has 61 additional co-sponsors in the U.S. Senate and companion legislation has been introduced in the U.S. House of Representatives. Bill text can be found here.

The United States is facing the worst drug crisis in our history. In 2021, over 106,000 Americans died from an overdose, and nearly 70,000 deaths were caused by fentanyl. Last year, the Drug Enforcement Administration seized over 379 million deadly doses of fentanyl – enough to kill every American.

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