WASHINGTON - U.S. Senator Amy Klobuchar (D-MN), a member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, called on the Biden Administration to ensure that any supplemental funding request they submit includes support for technology to detect and intercept fentanyl at our nation’s borders and to bolster federal law enforcement’s ability to investigate fentanyl trafficking. 

“Overdose deaths in the United States, particularly due to fentanyl poisoning, pose a threat to our communities,” wrote Klobuchar. “In Minnesota, there were more than 900 opioid-related overdose deaths in 2021 – a four-fold increase from 2018. This was a record number, and averages more than two lives lost every day. Over 90 percent of those opioid-related overdose deaths in Minnesota were related to synthetic opioids like fentanyl.”

“Advanced border technology will make a major difference to assist law enforcement in preventing deadly fentanyl from entering our country,” Klobuchar continued. 

Klobuchar has led efforts to tackle the rise in illegal opioids entering the United States.  

In April, Klobuchar and Senator Shelley Moore Capito (R-WV) introduced bipartisan legislation to tackle the rise in illegal opioids entering the U.S. The STOP 2.0 Act builds on Klobuchar’s Synthetics Trafficking & Overdose Prevention (STOP) Act, which was signed into law in 2018. That legislation prevents fentanyl and synthetic drug shipments from being smuggled into the U.S. through the mail by requiring advance electronic data (AED) to be included on all inbound international packages shipped through the U.S. Postal Service. 

In May, Klobuchar and Senator Lisa Murkowski (R-AK) introduced the COPS Reauthorization Act to extend critical support for state and local law enforcement agencies across the country and retain more law enforcement officers to take on fentanyl. This bipartisan legislation reauthorizes the Community Oriented Policing Services (COPS) program through FY 2029. The COPS program awards grants to state and local law enforcement agencies so they can hire new officers and provide training, technology, and equipment. It also enables the Justice Department to provide technical assistance to community leaders and law enforcement agencies at all levels.

Klobuchar cosponsors the bipartisan FEND OFF Fentanyl Act which passed the Senate in July as part of the National Defense Authorization Act. This bill would officially declare international fentanyl trafficking a national emergency and provide authorities to impose tough sanctions on transnational crime organizations in China, Mexico, or any other fentanyl supply chain hub.

Klobuchar is also a cosponsor of the Cooper Davis Act, bipartisan legislation to hold social media companies accountable for reporting to law enforcement illicit fentanyl activity occurring on their platforms. The bill would require social media companies and other communication service providers to turn over information relating to illicit online fentanyl activity to federal agencies to combat the illegal sale and distribution of counterfeit and controlled substances occurring on their platforms.

Full text of the letter is available HERE and below. 

Dear Mr. President:

I write to request that any supplemental funding request your administration submits to Congress include additional federal funds for inspection technology to better detect and intercept fentanyl at our nation’s borders and to bolster federal law enforcement’s ability to investigate fentanyl trafficking.

Overdose deaths in the United States, particularly due to fentanyl poisoning, pose a threat to our communities. More than 106,000 people lost their lives to drug overdoses in the United States in 2021, with over 70,000 of those deaths involving synthetic opioids - primarily fentanyl. In Minnesota, there were more than 900 opioid-related overdose deaths in 2021 – a four-fold increase from 2018. This was a record number, and averages more than two lives lost every day. Over 90 percent of those opioid-related overdose deaths in Minnesota were related to synthetic opioids like fentanyl. Over the past year, your administration has seized nearly 45,000 pounds of fentanyl which is the equivalent of 279 million potentially fatal doses. Advanced border technology will make a major difference to assist law enforcement in preventing deadly fentanyl from entering our country. 

I am committed to ensuring that the United States addresses the fentanyl epidemic and look forward to working with you to address this crisis.

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