The United States Senate is considering a bill on fentanyl trafficking that was introduced by Northern Virginia Congressman James Walkinshaw.
It's been more than three years since Congress mandated that the Department of Homeland Security create a centralized program to collect data on fentanyl and put together a plan to keep chemical precursors from entering the U.S. But that never happened says Congressman James Walkinshaw, who introduced the Measuring Illicit Fentanyl Trafficking Act.
"The Department of Homeland Security has failed to coordinate its efforts to prevent fentanyl trafficking and hasn't been measuring their progress," says Walkinshaw.
Earlier this month, his bill passed the House – Walkinshaw's first bill to make it to the Senate. It was an accomplishment that he shared with Republican Congressman Mike McCaul of Texas. The bipartisan duo worked together to establish performance metrics and improve interagency coordination.
"Fentanyl is the number one killer of young Americans between the ages of 18 and 45," McCaul says. "My children have witnessed five funerals. One took fentanyl on Christmas Eve, did not wake up on Christmas Day."
Walkinshaw says he hopes the Senate will pass the bill and get it to the president's desk before the end of the year.
