BREAKING: Our FEND Off Fentanyl Act is Now Law
Dear Friend,
In an overwhelmingly bipartisan vote late last night, the Senate took an important step forward in the fight to end the fentanyl crisis with the passage of our FEND Off Fentanyl Act.
Today, I am proud to announce that this bill is now law.
VIDEO: ICYMI - U.S. Senator Martin Heinrich (D-N.M.) holds press conference with New Mexico Attorney General Raúl Torrez, first responders, law enforcement, and a New Mexico resident personally impacted by the fentanyl crisis to highlight the urgent need for action to keep families safe and get deadly fentanyl out of our communities, March 22, 2024.
By giving law enforcement the tools needed to crack down on drug traffickers and international criminal organizations, this bill will combat the flow of deadly fentanyl before it ever reaches our nation’s borders. It is one of the most significant actions Congress has taken to effectively address the fentanyl epidemic that’s killing New Mexicans and tearing families apart.
This bill builds on a number of recent successes to save lives in the fight against fentanyl.
In the most recent government funding law, I was proud to secure more than $1 million to help law enforcement agencies throughout New Mexico purchase equipment to safely identify fentanyl and other illicit substances, the creation of a first-of-its-kind fentanyl tracking system, and language that directs the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) to remove barriers to access life-saving opioid use disorder medications. I was also pleased to deliver more than $400 million for U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) to detect and seize fentanyl at our ports of entry.
These new resources will make a real difference. But there is still so much more we need to do.
I won’t stop fighting until we deliver the resources our law enforcement officers, first responders, medical providers, and New Mexicans on the front lines need to address this deadly epidemic.
Sincerely,
MARTIN HEINRICH
United States Senator
