Political Quotes

“I am pleased to join my Judiciary Committee colleagues, Chairman Graham and Senator Durbin, as the lead cosponsor of the ``Temporary Reauthorization and Study of the Emergency Scheduling of Fentanyl Analogues Act.'' This bill will ensure that fentanyl-related substances remain in Schedule I and will help deter the manufacture of fentanyl-related substances responsible for overdose deaths. In 2018, the number of fentanyl-related deaths in the United States increased from 28,000 to 32,000. This is more than double the number of heroin-related overdose deaths. It is a staggering number of lives lost that we simply cannot accept. To address the increasing deaths, the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) issued a temporary order to control fentanyl-related substances, or fentanyl analogues, as a class. That order is set to expire on February 6th. Based on the information my office has received from the DEA and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, it is clear that this order has been effective. The number of law enforcement encounters of new fentanyl analogues has decreased from 8 to 2. That is significant and means that the order has reduced the supply of new fentanyl analogues by 75 percent. This decrease in supply has reduced the need for widespread prosecutions of fentanyl-related offenses. In fact, since the DEA's order went into effect, it is my understanding that there has only been two related prosecutions.…”