At one time, the U.S. and China worked hand in hand, but Rep. Paul Gosar (R-Ariz.) said China must be held accountable for its role in the fentanyl epidemic sweeping the nation.
“Fentanyl is a serious problem in our country that the Biden regime continues to ignore. We must get tough on those that are contributing to this drug crisis, including China,” Gosar said in a statement provided to State Newswire. “These drugs are killing our loved ones and plaguing communities across America."
"Congress and Mr. Biden can immediately take action to stop fentanyl from pouring into our country by sealing off our border. It is a known fact that fentanyl is manufactured in Chinese labs and sent to Mexico. China must be held accountable for their role,” said Gosar, who voted not to certify Joe Biden's presidential election in January 2021.
The relationship between the countries has deteriorated since 2018. The U.S. has adopted a tougher foreign policy posture toward China, which has grown more assertive about defending its interests, the Wall Street Journal reported.
The cooperation on combating the drug trade has broken down. Conversations regarding fentanyl between Chinese officials and members from the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) and State Department have ceased, Biden administration officials said.
China moved to regulate fentanyl and two of its precursors in 2019, but it still is the top supplier of fentanyl in the U.S., although most of it is supplied indirectly, according to the Brookings Institute. The report describes China’s cooperation in counternarcotics efforts as “highly selective, self-serving, limited and subordinated to its geopolitical interests.”
China has refused to accept co-responsibility for the fentanyl epidemic and instead maintains that Mexican law enforcement should step up, even as Chinese criminal actors expand their operations within Mexico. Approximately 1 million Americans have died from drug overdoses since 1999.
China leads the world in chemical exports, with between 160,000 and 400,000 chemical manufacturers and distributors, many of whom operate illegally, the Brookings Institute reported.
Fentanyl is cheap to produce and high in potency, allowing many drug traffickers to mix it with other drugs, according to the DEA. Agents have found synthetic opioids in basically every street drug and in counterfeit prescription pills. Mexican cartels can purchase the raw chemicals from China, produce fentanyl cheaply, and then mix it in with other drugs which are then trafficked into the U.S.
The DEA has reported seizing more than 379 million potentially deadly doses of fentanyl in 2022, enough fentanyl to kill every American. Two milligrams of fentanyl, which fits on a pencil tip, is considered a potentially deadly dose.
The Centers for Disease Control have reported more than 150 people die every day from overdoses related to synthetic opioids like fentanyl.
Gosar was first elected in 2010 to represent Arizona’s Fourth Congressional District in the U.S. House of Representatives, according to his website. He is a member of the House Committee on Natural Resources and the House Committee on Oversight and Reform. He owned his own dental practice and was a small businessman for 25 years.
