The Biden Crises
Floor Speech
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Mrs. MILLER-MEEKS. Madam Speaker, I thank my colleague, the fine gentleman from Louisiana, for organizing this Special Order on such an important topic.
It is no secret that our country has been ravaged by the opioid epidemic for years. Families and communities across the country have been destroyed by opioid abuse and addiction and, unfortunately, Iowans are no exception.
I, and other healthcare providers, correctly predicted in the spring of 2020 that our actions by locking down, social isolation, and shuttering jobs, would lead to increased drug use, drug addiction, and drug overdoses.
The Iowa Department of Public Health recently estimated that fentanyl deaths rose from 31 percent of all overdoses in 2016 to 87 percent in 2021. The CDC reported that from April 2020 to April 2021, more than 100,000 Americans died of drug overdoses, and that nearly 64,000 were related to fentanyl. This is up from 2,000 overdose deaths in 2011.
These numbers are shocking and saddening, and truly underscore the impact the opioid epidemic has had on this country. U.S. Customs and Border Protection seized over twice as much fentanyl in fiscal year 2021 than in fiscal year 2020, and nearly four times as much fentanyl, compared to 2019.
Madam Speaker, 11,201 pounds of fentanyl were seized in fiscal year 2021 alone, enough to kill 2.5 billion people, or the entire U.S. population over seven times.
While it is great we are apprehending so many drugs before they reach our communities, and Border Patrol is doing amazing work, we know so much more is coming across our borders undetected and impacting our communities.
I have visited the border twice and have spoken to law enforcement about what we can do to help them. The administration needs to address the border crisis as it is and take it seriously.
I have been proud to see this Congress work in a bipartisan manner to pass commonsense and simple bills, like my DUMP Opioids Act, to help curb this epidemic. But we can all agree that there is more work to be done.
I look forward to working with all of my colleagues to help make this country safer for the American people.
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