Rep. Ro Khanna (D-CA), a member of the Select Committee on the Chinese Communist Party (CCP), said that the Select Committee's Fentanyl Working Group is addressing the CCP’s role in the U.S. fentanyl crisis. Khanna shared his statement in a Sept. 19 post on X.
"The CCP is using trade loopholes to ship fentanyl into the U.S. and contributing to one of the worst drug epidemics facing our nation," said Khanna. "Our bipartisan committee with @RepAuchincloss is raising awareness and urgently working to end this threat."
According to a report from the House Select Committee on the Chinese Communist Party, China is identified as the "ultimate geographic source of the fentanyl crisis," under CCP leadership. The report found that the Chinese government, under the CCP, "directly subsidizes the manufacturing and export of illicit fentanyl materials and other synthetic narcotics through tax rebates"; provided monetary grants to companies openly trafficking fentanyl and narcotic-related materials; holds interest in "several PRC companies tied to drug trafficking"; censors content about domestic drug sales but "leaves export-focused narcotics content untouched"; and "fails to prosecute fentanyl and precursor manufacturers."
In 2023, approximately 81,083 Americans died from overdoses involving opioids or synthetic opioids, primarily fentanyl, according to the National Center for Health Statistics.
Gabriel Noronha, executive director of Polaris National Security and a former special advisor to the State Department, said on an episode of the China Desk podcast that he found fentanyl precursors readily available for purchase and shipping to the U.S. on a Chinese website. "I went on madeinchina.com, which is an e-commerce site in China, searched for fentanyl precursors, and found them on the website," Noronha said. "They say they offer discreet shipping to Indiana, Pennsylvania, Michigan, Ohio, Mexico, Prague–wherever you want it. They will get it there and they have screenshots showing successful purchases [to those locations]. Hundreds of Americans are dying every day."
Khanna is currently serving his fourth term in the House of Representatives, representing California’s 17th Congressional District. According to his website, prior to serving in Congress, he taught economics at Stanford University and served as Deputy Assistant Secretary of Commerce in the Obama administration.