Jeff Van Drew: “I am honored by your yielding and the work that you are doing in this area. We are in the midst of perhaps the widest…”

“I am honored by your yielding and the work that you are doing in this area. We are in the midst of perhaps the widest array of crises this country has ever seen. A global pandemic, inflation, and an unstable world stage that could erupt at any moment. Yet, COVID-19 and these uncertainties aren't the only things slowly infecting every corner of this country. Fentanyl. Fentanyl. That word. It takes just two milligrams of this substance, which is 100 times more potent than morphine, to kill a full-grown adult. In fact, Border Patrol has already seized more than 2,700 pounds at the southern border this year, 2,700 pounds, enough to kill every single American twice over. The massive inflow of this deadly substance is a direct result of our weakening southern border and policies designed to entice illegal immigrants to flow into our Nation. Often sourced directly from China, our open-border policies have allowed the worst of humanity to sneak this drug into every community, small and large, rural, urban, or suburban across our great America. It has become so bad, in fact, that fentanyl is now the leading cause of death, as you have heard over and over again because it is so unbelievable, of all Americans between the ages of 18 and 45. Imagine that. It is incomprehensible. Exacerbated by the stress of mandates and lockdowns, fentanyl-related overdoses across the board increased by more than 55 percent.…”