Terminating the National Emergency Declared to Impose Duties on Articles Imported From Canada
Floor Speech
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Mr. THUNE. Mr. President, notwithstanding rule XXII, I ask unanimous consent that confirmation of the Sauer and Dhillon nominations be at a time to be determined by the majority leader, in consultation with the Democratic Leader, during Thursday's session of the Senate.
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Mr. THUNE. Mr. President, just over 2 weeks ago, the Senate passed the HALT Fentanyl Act with bipartisan support. As I said at the time, this bill joins other efforts to combat the fentanyl crisis that is taking so many lives in our country.
But now Democrats seem to want to take a step backward in that fight. They want to end the emergency that President Trump declared that addresses the flow of fentanyl across the northern border from Canada.
Fentanyl moves in a sophisticated supply chain. Precursor chemicals are shipped from China to North America--landing in Mexico, Canada, and the United States. Those chemicals are then used to produce fentanyl, which is smuggled into the United States across borders or sent through the mail.
Now, much of the fentanyl that comes into the United States comes from the southern border from Mexico. And I am glad that President Trump has taken swift action to secure the border with Mexico and address the flow of drugs across that border.
But we would be wrong to view this as solely a southern border problem. The reality is that fentanyl production is growing in Canada. One 30-year veteran of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police specializing in transnational crime said:
Canada is a significant platform for transnational networks and one of the most concerning threats for synthetic narcotic production and exportation to our allies, including the U.S.
Canada's financial intelligence agency has identified about 100 organized crime groups involved in fentanyl production in the country. That is four times--four times--as many as there were in 2022. Canadian law enforcement has raided drug ``super labs''--sophisticated fentanyl production facilities that may have links to the cartels.
For now, most fentanyl from Canada enters the United States in small amounts--often through the mail. But as one cartel member told ``60 Minutes'' last month, cartels are already smuggling fentanyl across our northern border.
So what will happen if we focus on fentanyl coming across the southern border and from China but fail to address the northern border component of this crisis? Will the cartels simply shift tactics and expand their operations to the north? I think we can be confident the answer to that question is yes.
We have already seen some illegal immigrants attempt that shift when faced with stricter security measures at the southern border. And last week, the FBI Director warned the House Intelligence Committee that our enemies will adapt to security measures at the southern border by shifting resources to the northern border.
If we are serious about ending the fentanyl crisis in America, we need to address the entirety of the crisis. We are not going to solve the problem by going after just part of it. Ending this emergency declaration will tell the cartels that they should shift their focus to the northern border.
So I urge my colleagues to oppose this resolution and ensure that President Trump has the tools that he needs to combat the flow of fentanyl from all directions.
This is the second resolution seeking to end an emergency that the Senate has considered in the last few weeks. Last time, it was ending the national energy emergency. Now it is ending an emergency related to fentanyl.
The American people recognize that these are legitimate crises and that they warrant an aggressive response. President Trump and Republicans promised that we would unleash American energy and end the lawlessness at our borders, and we intend to keep those promises.
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Mr. THUNE. Res. 37, the motion to reconsider be considered made and laid upon the table.
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