Political Quotes

“Mr. Speaker, I yield such time as she may consume to the gentlewoman from Texas (Ms. De La Cruz), the sponsor of this bill, a new and dynamic member of our committee. Ms. De La CRUZ. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman from Missouri for yielding and for his broader leadership of the Financial Services Subcommittee on National Security, Illicit Finance, and International Financial Institutions. Mr. Speaker, according to the CDC, over 107,000 Americans died from drug overdoses or drug poisonings in the 12-month period ending January 2022. Sixty-seven percent of those deaths involved synthetic opioids like fentanyl, which is up to 50 times stronger than heroin and 100 times stronger than morphine. Last year, Hidalgo County, which sits in my district, made news with massive fentanyl seizures at the U.S.-Mexico border. These include $1.5 million in January 2022 and $330,000 in June. These numbers are staggering. According to law enforcement, an illicit investment of $30,000 or less could yield $6 to $32 million. To end this crisis, we must tackle the financing. As the adage goes, ``Follow the money.'' This money fuels the operations of the cartels that are poisoning our families. My bill, the Preventing the Financing of Illegal Synthetic Drugs Act, will help law enforcement pinpoint the business model of the traffickers, how they move and hide their profits, and what the U.S. can do to stop fentanyl money laundering.…”