LIVE: Rep. Stansbury Speaks on Legislation to Disrupt Global Criminal Drug Networks

All right, well good afternoon everyone. I am Congresswoman Melanie Stansbury and I am deeply proud, honored, and humbled to represent New Mexico's first congressional district right in the heart of central New Mexico. And today we're here to talk about the fentanyl epidemic and the opioid epidemic which are raging through our communities. We are in the midst of one of the worst drug epidemics in American history. It is devastating communities and families across the country. Fentanyl is 50 times more powerful than heroin and in 2023 more than 70,000 people across this country died because of it directly. But that does not even account for the thousands of people who died due to drug-related accidents, to killings, and to other activities associated with this epidemic. That means there were 70,000 funerals in America last year because the drug cartels and drug dealers who are moving these products into our communities have not been stopped. That is more than the U.S. military lost in Vietnam, Iraq, and Afghanistan combined. This is an absolute crisis that is devastating our communities and we must do more. That is why I am honored to be joined by colleagues across the aisle and my colleague from New Hampshire to my right in introducing the STOP Act which is the Stop the Opioid Pill Presser and Fentanyl Act which will help to disrupt criminal networks and suppliers of illicit drugs like fentanyl from the start. This is a multinational issue. The deadly effects of this drug are reaching into millions of homes but cross the ocean from China into Mexico and across the border and into every community across the country. But it is also a deeply personal issue for me. Like so many Americans, I received that dreaded phone call just a few years ago and I will never forget what it felt like in the morning of 2019 when I was serving in the New Mexico State House and I received my very first call that someone I knew had died from a fentanyl overdose. Sadly it was not the last. Local DEA officials have identified illicit fentanyl as the top drug threat in Albuquerque, New Mexico in my district. The Center for Disease Control found fentanyl seizures more than quadrupled between 2017 and 2023 and almost half of the fentanyl seized last year was in a fake pill form. So that is why we are introducing this legislation to regulate the people and the materials that are used to manufacture these pills. There is no state that is immune from this epidemic. In New Mexico there were 711 fatal opioid addiction overdoses in 2022 and 87 percent of the people who died died because of illegally manufactured fentanyl. That means drug dealers that are pressing pills in places that they are not doing so in a legal manner and then distributing those drugs into our communities. Despite the data, people think this is not happening in their neighborhoods or their communities. But if you open your computer, you search the news today in any community you will see how this deadly epidemic is affecting every community across the country. Just a couple of days ago in Arizona a woman was arrested for hauling 2.6 million dollars worth of suspected fentanyl laced pills into Colorado. Two weeks ago 50 pounds of fentanyl pills were found by police in the Nashville airport and in August 60 pounds of fentanyl pills were seized during traffic stops in Oregon. Tablets and counterfeit pills containing fentanyl have become more common and the people who consume them may not even know that what they are taking includes deadly fentanyl and other dangerous substances. The Drug Enforcement Administration's 2024 National Drug Threat Assessment indicates that the Sinaloa and Jalisco cartels rely on pill press companies in China to supply the pill press equipment that is being used to manufacture these drugs that are coming into our communities. I don't think I need to say anything else about that. It is absolutely critical that we disrupt this supply chain and protect Americans and the people in our communities who are dying from this epidemic. This stop act would require those men who manufacture or distribute pill tablet tablet tabletine or encapsulating machines to serialize their machinery to keep records to report transactions to the Attorney General and create a national registry and a way for the Department of Justice to hold them accountable and the law. There should never be a year where 70,000 families bury loved ones due to overdoses. There should never be another year where 70,000 people across this country are dying from preventable overdoses. We must stop these fake prescription pills from coming into our communities. We must stop them from killing our friends, family, and children fentanyl continue to pose a deadly threat to our communities. I've had countless conversations with law enforcement at all levels about the growing threat that they see in terms of pills that are laced with fentanyl, and I hear about this from community members, families who share deeply personal heartbreaking stories about the toll that these pills are taking on their families and their loved ones. Lab tests tell us that seven out of every ten pills that are seized by DEA contain a lethal dose of fentanyl. In 2023, that meant 80 million fentanyl-laced fake pills that were seized, and to date, in 2024, DEA has seized more than 269 million pills, deadly doses that could kill up to 81 percent of the entire American population. So, the data shows beyond a doubt that this issue is proliferating, and it represents a clear and present danger to our communities. In my state of New Hampshire, just this past summer, federal authorities arrested a Manchester man charged with operating a counterfeit pill-pressing scheme. The individual would press and sell pills purported to be OxyContin and Adderall that were mixed with fentanyl and methamphetamine. In July of 2023, another man in my district in the town of Derry was charged with maintaining a drug lab and processing a pill-press for illegal manufacturing and distribution of large quantities of misbranded prescription drugs, including controlled substances. And just across our border with Massachusetts, a number of communities have seen this issue. Individuals have been arrested for trafficking counterfeit prescription pills containing fentanyl, and individuals who have been operating illegal pill-press operations. So, law enforcement is doing its work. They're doing critical work that is interdicting these pills and shutting down these press operations, but more needs to be done to give them the tools they need to stay ahead of individuals that are making and trafficking these substances into our communities. And it's critical that we regulate and monitor pill-press machines to stop these bad actors from using illegal presses to create counterfeit pills. So, this legislation puts in place common sense steps that would ensure that those who manufacture or distribute tableting or encapsulating machines and their components add serial numbers to the machinery to keep records of their transactions, and that's something that could aid law enforcement in their efforts to save lives and take these deadly drugs off the street. It would put in place penalties for those who don't follow the guidelines, which could lead to counterfeit pills and pill-presses getting into the hands of bad actors and putting deadly pills out onto the street. So, I'm really proud to be able to co-sponsor this legislation. This is another step of so many that we need to take to address both the supply and demand issues around the addiction crisis in our country. And once again, I want to commend Representative Stansbury for her leadership on this. And with that, I'll turn it over to Representative Nickel for some comments. Thank you so much. It's good to be with everyone here today. We all know that the opioid crisis doesn't come with a simple solution, and we gather here today because it impacts each of the communities we represent, North Carolina just as much as New Hampshire and New Mexico. I'm grateful to Congressman Stansbury for raising awareness about this deadly epidemic and for taking a major step to crack down on illegal synthetic drug producers. Our fight against opioids is a battle that demands urgent and comprehensive action. In Congress, I'm proud to be part of the Bipartisan Addiction and Mental Health Task Force. The task force merges the Bipartisan Opioid Task Force and the Working Group on Addiction and has been instrumental in acknowledging and combating the link between addiction and mental health crises in the country. To tackle these issues, I've also co-sponsored several bills aimed at addressing the opioid crisis head-on. One of these bills, H.R. 3616, will require opioid overdose medication in aircraft emergency medical kits. It's essential to equip our first responders with the tools they need to save lives during critical moments, even at 30,000 feet in the air. We've also taken significant steps to protect our first responders through H.R. 795, the Protecting First Responders from Secondary Exposures Act. By expanding the use of grant funds, we're empowering first responders with containment devices and training to safeguard them from deadly substances like fentanyl. Addressing the root source of the problem is equally important, which is why I've supported the End Fentanyl Act. This bill calls for regular updates to policies related to inspections at ports of entry, helping us prevent the dangerous influx of fentanyl into our country. Family support is also another crucial part of our approach to fighting addiction, and the Supporting Families Through Addiction Act of 2023 establishes a crucial grant program for family community organizations. These organizations provide much-needed support to individuals struggling with substance use disorders and their families. Consistently voted in support of legislation like the Stop Chinese Fentanyl Act, which helps prevent precursor chemicals from reaching fentanyl producers, cutting off the supply chain at its source. The Halt Fentanyl Act is another critical piece of legislation that equips law enforcement with the necessary tools to hold distributors accountable and save lives on the front line. We've got to also acknowledge that this battle requires more resources. That's why I've also requested additional federal funding to address the flow of deadly illicit fentanyl and secure our southern border. At the beginning of the year, we had negotiated the most comprehensive conservative border deal in decades. It would have provided the resources needed for border security and was designed specifically to fight the spread of fentanyl. And guess what? Donald Trump killed the deal because he wanted to use this issue as an election issue. Killing the deal costs lives, all because Trump wants to politicize this issue. He wants pain and suffering at the border to help him win in November. He has no interest or ability to find an actual solution. Let's be clear, this is not the way to govern. But House Democrats are putting people over politics and we are not giving up on this fight. Together with our shared commitment and collective efforts, we can save lives, provide hope, and steer our communities towards a healthier, safer future. Let's continue working hand in hand to combat this crisis and ensure a brighter tomorrow for every American affected by the opioid epidemic. Thank you so much. Now I'd like to turn it back over to Representative Stansberry. All right. Well, I just want to say thank you to both of our co-sponsors who've joined us here today. And there will be many more because this issue is not a partisan issue. This is an issue that touches down in every single community across the country. I want to add my thanks to Representative Nickel for raising the issue around public health. This is not only an issue around criminal justice and the way in which we hold the cartels accountable and get these drugs off of the streets, but it's a public health crisis that is touching down for millions of Americans. Family members who are finding themselves in the throes of addiction. Family and friends who may have previously been using medications who've turned to the streets to get an opioid. Family and friends who are struggling with alcohol or other forms of addictive drugs who have turned to this cheap drug that is being manufactured and flooding our streets. And the tragedies that are happening in every single community across the country as people receive those calls. We have to stop this. We have to stop the flow of fentanyl into our communities. We have to stop this epidemic. We have to make sure that no family has to live with the pain of getting that call. I want to say thank you to everyone who worked on this bill. We worked very closely with the Biden-Harris administration and the Office of National Drug Policy to make sure that this bill, along with Department of Justice and the committees of jurisdiction, would be an effective tool against the smuggling of illicit drugs and pills. And it is crucial that we put this tool in place just as we are dealing with the public health crisis. Back home in New Mexico, this will give our law enforcement another tool to go after the cartels, to go after the drug dealers, to get the fentanyl off the street. And we will work with our public health officials every day to make sure that we are saving lives and helping people on their path to recovery. So thank you all so much for being here today, and I will open it up for any questions if anyone has any questions from the media. Seeing none, I will call this to a close, and we are taking this bill to the floor and filing it today. Thank you all for being here. Thank you.