Bipartisan House trio, all in tough re-election fights, pitch bill to stop fentanyl at the border
A new bill to stop fentanyl at the U.S.-Mexico border has support in the House and Senate, but Congress has struggled to pass any border legislation in this election year.
WASHINGTON — A bipartisan House trio are introducing a bill Thursday aimed at reducing the flow of fentanyl at the U.S. southern border.
The Stop Fentanyl at the Border Act, a House companion to an existing bipartisan Senate bill, is being unveiled by Reps. Gabe Vasquez, D-N.M.; Eric Sorensen, D-Ill.; and Lori Chavez-DeRemer, R-Ore. The bill is aimed at two major issues in the 2024 elections — immigration and the opioid crisis — as all three members face tough re-election battles in November. The Senate version is led by Bob Casey of Pennsylvania, who is also a top GOP target this cycle.
The bill would allocate more than $5 billion to increase staffing and technology that would detect illicit drugs, weapons and other contraband being smuggled across the border shared by the U.S. and Mexico.
There are at least 31 scanning systems, known as Non-Intrusive Inspection Systems, that are already in place along the border in personnel vehicles at ports of entry with dozens more under construction. The scanners are the strongest tool the Biden administration has to detect fentanyl in vehicles crossing the border, the Department of Homeland Security previously told NBC News.
Congress must appropriate funding to put the scanners in place at the border. Some of that money was freed up in May after NBC News reported that many of the high-tech scanners were sitting unused in warehouses.
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