Comer: President Biden’s Border Crisis Fueling Fentanyl Trafficking

WASHINGTON—House Committee on Oversight and Reform Ranking Member James Comer (R-Ky.) opened today’s hearing on “Examining the 2022 National Drug Control Strategy and the Federal Response to the Overdose Crisis” by blasting the Biden Administration’s open border policies that are allowing illicit drugs like fentanyl to pour into our country. He also outlined how Democrat lockdowns and school closures have caused mental health complications for teens and adults, which have led to historic overdose rates. Ranking Member Comer noted the House Oversight and Energy and Commerce Committees have launched an investigation into America’s fentanyl crisis and concluded by calling on President Biden to secure the border to stem the flow of illicit drugs.

Below are Ranking Member Comer remarks as prepared for delivery.

Thank you, Chairwoman, for calling this hearing today.

Our Committee’s mission is government efficiency and effectiveness. 

Our Committee’s mission is to protect taxpayer dollars from government fraud, waste, and abuse.

Our Committee’s mission is to hold government officials accountable.

Republicans on this Committee have been pushing for months to hold hearings on the many pressing crises caused by the Biden Administration.

While I am pleased we finally have a top-level Biden official testifying today, this is past due.

I urge the Chairwoman to hold more hearings like this one where we can examine the many crises impacting Americans today.

Thank you, Dr. Gupta for testifying today.

In January, Republicans on the Oversight and the Energy and Commerce Committees launched an investigation into America’s fentanyl crisis.

We sent letters to the Office of National Drug Control Policy, Customs and Border Protection, and the Drug Enforcement Agency seeking information about the Biden Administration’s plan to address the crisis at the southern border and the overdose epidemic.

We appreciated the response from your agency, Dr. Gupta, but many important questions remain unanswered.

One of these outstanding questions is how President Biden’s border crisis and this Administration’s open borders policies have aided and abetted trafficking of illicit drugs, such as fentanyl, into our country.

Fentanyl is being smuggled across the southwest border at unprecedented rates.

U.S. Customs and Border Protection seized over 11,000 pounds of fentanyl in Fiscal Year 2021.

That is more fentanyl seized in one fiscal year than fiscal years 2020 and 2019 combined.

The standard fatal overdose of fentanyl is 2 milligrams.

11,000 pounds of fentanyl is more than 5 billion milligrams.

That means we seized about 2.5 billion lethal doses of fentanyl in one fiscal year.

That does not include all the fentanyl that we know has been smuggled across our borders undetected.

Cartels are overwhelming border patrol agents and providing a steady supply for dealers and users alike.

So a primary question is “What is President Biden going to do to secure the border and cut off the free-flow of illicit drugs into our country?”

We also wrote an open letter to law enforcement seeking information about how the fentanyl crisis is impacting local communities.

We received distressing responses from communities across the country.

They told us of the devastating effects fentanyl has had – of young lives lost and families destroyed. 

Madam Chairwoman, I ask unanimous consent to submit these response letters into the record. Thank you.

On top of the crisis at the southern border, Democrat lockdowns and school closures caused increased stress and mental health complications for teens and adults alike, leading to historic overdose rates.

According to preliminary data from the CDC more than 107,000 people died from a drug overdose in the U.S. in 2021. 

That is a nearly 15 percent increase over 2020 which was already a 31 percent increase from 2019.

Our nation’s mental health crisis continues to worsen due to the economic hardship and supply chain crises caused by President Biden’s disastrous polices.

Studies have shown that stress over money can make people up to 20 times more likely to attempt suicide.

Inflation remains at a 40-year high, gas prices are the highest in American history, and many families are stressed, wondering how they are going to make ends meet.

Tragically, fentanyl overdoses are becoming the leading cause of death for Americans ages 18-45: more than COVID, car accidents, gun violence, breast cancer, or suicide.

Teenagers and young adults are turning to Snapchat, TikTok, and other social media apps to find Percocet, Xanax, and other pills, many of which are counterfeit and laced with fentanyl. 

Fentanyl has also been found in counterfeit vape pens and marijuana.

We must act now to secure our southern border to stem the flow of illicit fentanyl.

It is heartbreaking to see how desperately people are trying to escape the impacts of President Biden’s policies.

His administration has flooded the market with illicit drugs so they can do just that.

Thank you, I yield back.