Washington, DC (RI) — The U.S. House has passed a bill co-sponsored by Iowa Congressman Zach Nunn that outlines new sanctions for fentanyl manufacturers in China.
The bill would expand the definition of foreign opioid trafficker in federal law. That would give federal officials authority to impose new sanctions on Chinese individuals and organizations that produce, sell or export synthetic opioids, including fentanyl. It would also require the Trump Administration to determine if top officials in the Chinese government should be designated as opioid traffickers. Nunn — a Republican from Ankeny — says the Chinese Communist Party continues to turn a blind eye to the fentanyl crisis and it’s time to hold bad actors accountable, wherever they may be.
The bill passed the House on a 407 to four vote and now goes to the U.S. Senate for consideration. Fentanyl is responsible for 70 percent of overdose deaths in the United States and is the leading cause of death for Americans between the ages of 18 and 45.
