news

Last night, Congresswoman Veronica Escobar voted in favor of H.R. 747, the Stop Chinese Fentanyl Act, to hold the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) and its affiliates accountable for manufacturing and distributing fentanyl.

“Serious issues facing our country require bipartisan solutions,” said Congresswoman Escobar. “Too many American families know the profound cost of the opioid epidemic, including in our community. That’s why I joined an overwhelming majority of my colleagues – Democrats and Republicans – to vote for this bill.”

Specifically, this legislation would amend the Fentanyl Sanctions Act to expand the definition of “foreign opioid trafficker,” empowering the U.S. government to impose sanctions on Chinese individuals, organizations, and government officials who: 

• Produce, sell, finance, or transport synthetic opioids or precursor chemicals;
• Fail to implement “know-your-customer” procedures; or
• Refuse to cooperate with U.S. counternarcotics efforts.

This legislation passed in the House with a 407-4 vote.