The Committee on Energy and Commerce is the oldest standing legislative committee (established 1795) in the U.S. House of Representatives and is vested with the broadest jurisdiction of any congressional authorizing committee. The Energy and Commerce Committee is at the forefront of all issues and policies powering America’s economy, including our global competitive edge in energy, technology, and health care. The committee is led by E&C Chairman Brett Guthrie (KY-02) and E&C Ranking Member Frank Pallone (NJ-06). The Subcommittee on Environment is led by Chairman Buddy Carter (GA-01) and Ranking Member Kathy Castor (FL-14).
Ladies and gentlemen, thank you for being here today as we gavel
in the first energy and commerce subcommittee on Health hearing,
American families across the country continues to suffer from the
failures of the Biden Harris administration's disastrous 4 years,
and his inability to address one of the greatest public health threats
of our lifetimes. The illicit drugs pouring over our borders. Under
the previous administration, the United States experienced a historic
rise of drug overdoses and poisonings, driven by an increased supply
of synthetic. opioids, such as illicit fentanyl in its analogs. Last
fiscal year, customs and Border Protection can confiscated over 21,000
pounds of fentanyl at our borders. That's enough fentanyl to kill
every American several times over. And that's just the drugs we know
about. Under the Baden Harris administration, we saw rates of overdose
and poisoning deaths skyrocket, peaking at nearly 108,000 in 2023,
driven by the surge of fentanyl coming across our borders. Illicit
fentanyl overdoses are now the number one cause of death among adults
18 to 45 each year more Americans are dying from illicit fentanyl
than the number of Americans' lives lost during the Vietnam War.
However, I believe we have a great opportunity to make significant
and sustainable progress in combating this crisis.
To do so, we must continue to expand the availability over of overdose
reversal treatments like naloxone. Removing the stigma associated
with carrying it and making it as common as a fire extinguisher.
Every school in America should have access to naloxone. We must secure
our borders to stop the scour the scourge of illegal drugs, especially
poisons like illicit fentanyl. President Trump has already made progress
to address the fentanyl crisis by forcing Mexico and Canada to come
to the negotiating table with President Trump's leadership, we must
continue to crack down on China, Mexico, and anyone who smuggles
fentanyl and other synthetic drugs across our borders with the sole
intention of prying on Americans. Additionally, this committee is
already taking action. help keep illicit fentanyl out of our communities
and save lives. Later today, the House will vote on a bill developed
by this committee, the halt all legal trafficking of fentanyl Act,
which will take the critical step of permanently scheduling all fentanyl-related
substances, as Schedule One drugs under controlled subservices Act.
These tools and solutions address today's problem, but like the evolution
of the opioid crisis from the overprescribing of OxyContin today,
to today's scourge of synthetic opioids like fentanyl, we must prepare
for what's next. In this hearing, we'll hear from our witnesses,
not just on the illicit drugs threatening our communities today,
but potential new threats that if left unaddressed, we'll be driving
this crisis tomorrow. I look forward to that testimony and working
alongside my colleagues on addressing. issues
