WASHINGTON — Fentanyl deaths in 2022 were the highest ever recorded in a calendar year in the United States, according to early estimates from the CDC.
There were nearly 110,000 reported drug overdose deaths, with more than two-thirds involving the powerful synthetic opioid, fentanyl.
U.S. Senator Tim Kaine (D-Virginia) said it's a national security threat and that the military should treat it as such. His bill would order the Defense Department to work with the Mexican military to stop the flow of drugs into our country.
"The answer to this is the DOD needs to be more at the table in the whole of government effort to battle fentanyl," he said.
The measure is co-sponsored by Sen. Joni Ernst (R-IA)
A news release from Kaine's office said: "The Department of Defense plays a crucial role in the nation’s counter-drug intelligence and monitoring operations, and these operations are meant to provide federal law enforcement with actionable intelligence to further investigations. However, a lack of interagency cooperation has hampered our government’s counter-fentanyl efforts."
The release goes on to say the Disrupt Fentanyl Trafficking Act will work to strengthen these efforts by:
- Declaring fentanyl trafficking a national security threat stemming from drug cartels in Mexico,
- Directing the Pentagon to develop a fentanyl-specific counter-drug strategy, including enhanced cooperation with Mexican defense officials,
- Requiring the Secretary of Defense to increase security cooperation with the Mexican military, and
- Addressing coordination efforts between the military and federal law enforcement agencies.