WASHINGTON DC – Today, U.S. Senator Jacky Rosen (D-NV) released a statement following reports that the Trump Administration is withholding $140 million to combat the fentanyl crisis, jeopardizing critical funding for programs aimed at saving lives and reducing opioid overdoses across 49 states, including Nevada. The Overdose Data to Action Program through the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention provides funding for the Southern Nevada Health District and the Nevada Department of Health and Human Services to help fight drug overdoses.
“It’s incomprehensible that the Trump Administration is withholding critical federal funding to fight the fentanyl crisis in Nevada and all across the nation. This is a dangerous move that puts lives and communities at risk,” said Senator Rosen. “Instead of fighting the fentanyl epidemic, Donald Trump is undermining public health efforts and abandoning the very people who are working on the front lines to stop overdoses. I call on the Trump Administration to release these funds immediately.”
Senator Rosen has consistently worked across party lines to fight the fentanyl crisis and combat fentanyl trafficking into the U.S. Senator Rosen introduced the Stop Smuggling Illicit Synthetic Drugs on U.S. Transportation Networks Act to establish a national strategy and deploy detection technologies at ports of entry to intercept fentanyl coming across the border. Her bipartisan FEND Off Fentanyl Act, which sanctions international fentanyl trafficking networks—including Mexican cartels and chemical suppliers in China—was signed into law last year. Senator Rosen has also helped introduce the bipartisan END FENTANYL Act, which mandates that U.S. Customs and Border Protection update its drug interdiction policies every three years to stay ahead of evolving smuggling tactics.
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