Congressman John Moolenaar, chairman of the House Select Committee on the Chinese Communist Party (CCP), stated that China is involved in the manufacturing and trafficking of fentanyl. Moolenaar shared his statement during a June 12 episode of Federal Newswire’s China Desk podcast.

"We want to continue to dig deeper to understand the financial and trafficking relationships between China and Mexico, and then how we can prevent this from continuing," said Moolenaar. "But it's a horrific situation. Fortunately, we now have evidence of China's involvement, and they're complicit in this. We need to take action on it going forward."

In a press release, the House Select Committee on the Strategic Competition between the United States and the CCP shared findings from their investigation into the Chinese government’s involvement with fentanyl. They cited the CCP as the ultimate source of fentanyl, noting that Chinese companies produce almost all the ingredients that fuel the illicit fentanyl trade. The committee found that the Chinese government subsidizes the manufacturing and export of illicit fentanyl materials and other synthetic narcotics, provides grants and awards to companies that openly traffic these materials, holds interests in Chinese drug trafficking companies, and fails to prosecute manufacturers of fentanyl and its precursors.

The Select Committee provided recommendations for how the U.S. should respond to evidence of the Chinese government's involvement in the fentanyl trade. According to their press release, they recommended creating a joint task force, providing law enforcement and officials with tools to execute anti-money laundering and anti-fentanyl efforts, strengthening U.S. sanctions against actors involved in the fentanyl trade, and utilizing trade and customs enforcement to prevent fentanyl trafficking.

According to the National Institute on Drug Abuse, overall drug overdoses in 2022 were reported to be 107,941. Overdoses involving synthetic opioids, excluding methadone, continued to rise with 73,838 overdose deaths in 2022.

CNN reported that fentanyl and other synthetic opioids are involved in almost 70% of overdose deaths, citing data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Fentanyl is often present in other drugs such as cocaine and methamphetamine.

Moolenaar represents Michigan's second congressional district. According to his website, he is a senior member on the House Committee on Appropriations and serves on subcommittees including Agriculture, Rural Development, Food and Drug Administration (FDA), Related Agencies; Labor; Health; Human Services; Education; and Related Agencies.