Political Quotes

“Mr. President, this is a really easy one. Let's trade bureaucracy and more funding in this bill for bureaucracy at the Department of Homeland Security for desperately needed technology along the southern border to stop deadly fentanyl from coming into our communities. Tragically, over 100,000 Americans were killed last year, which is a record, from drug overdoses. Two-thirds of those overdoses were from these synthetic opioids, like fentanyl. We know that the vast majority of that fentanyl originates with drug cartels in Mexico now, and there is a surge of these deadly drugs coming across our southern border. This amendment increases funding for Customs and Border Protection by $500 million for badly needed technology to detect fentanyl and other drugs. If you can believe it, right now, only 2 percent of cars--2 percent--and 14, 15, 16 percent, maybe, of commercial vehicles are being screened. Both GAO and the Department of Homeland Security IG have done reports saying we badly need this technology, and it is available. We need the funding. The funding is more than offset by reducing huge funding increases in this bill for this Office of Chief Readiness at the Department of Homeland Security. So this money stays at DHS. Let's make it a higher priority to stop and detect these deadly poisons coming into our communities. The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from Oklahoma.”