WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, Senator Jim Banks (R-Ind.) released a statement regarding Mexico’s agreement to deploy 10,000 troops to the U.S.-Mexico border in exchange for a one-month delay of President Donald Trump’s tariffs:
“President Trump has exposed the fact that both Mexico and President Biden could have taken simple steps to stop fentanyl and violent criminals at the border. This is America First in action. After just two weeks, we’ve already seen more results than we did during four years under Joe Biden. President Trump’s leadership will save lives.”
Background:
Senator Banks’ first bill in the Senate, the Countering Beijing’s Weaponization of Fentanyl (CBW) Act, amends the 1991 Chemical and Biological Weapons Control Act to classify fentanyl and its precursors as biological and chemical weapons. The legislation also sanctions Chinese Communist Party officials who facilitate the flow of fentanyl precursors into the U.S.
- In 2022, the United States hit a record high of 107,941 drug overdose deaths.
- Almost 70% of these deaths were caused by fentanyl and other synthetic opioids.
- 2,130 Hoosiers died from overdoses in 2023.
- In 2023, the DEA seized over 80 million fentanyl-laced counterfeit pills and nearly 12,000 pounds of fentanyl powder—equivalent to more than 390 million lethal doses.