U.S. Senator Katie Britt: Bold Action Needed to Protect American Children and Families from the Scourge of Fentanyl

February 5, 2025 - WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senator Katie Britt (R-Ala.) this week participated in a Senate Judiciary Committee hearing entitled "The Poisoning of America: Fentanyl, its Analogues, and the Need for Permanent Class Scheduling." She heard from multiple witnesses, including Jamie Puerta, President of Victims of Illicit Drugs, and Bridgette Norring, both of whom have tragically lost loved ones to fentanyl.

Senator Britt highlighted the severity of America's opioid epidemic and specifically, our nation's ongoing fentanyl crisis: "In 2024, CBP seized approximately 22,000 pounds of fentanyl at US ports of entry on our southern border and our northern border, as well as coastal and interior ports. That's nearly 1.1 billion lethal doses. That averages out to approximately three doses for every person residing in the United States. And perhaps of even greater concern, it's been estimated . . . that only 5 to 10% of the fentanyl crossing the border is actually being interdicted."

She went on to discuss the severe impact of drugs crossing our southern border, including in Alabama.

"In 2023, the annual report of the Alabama Opioid Overdose and Addiction Council discussed the alarming increase in fentanyl-related overdose deaths and poisonings in Alabama between 2018 and 2022. In 2022, Alabama's SBI (State Bureau of Investigation) seized a total of 8,300 grams of fentanyl, which is equivalent to 8.3 million lethal doses, enough to kill everyone in the state of Alabama, plus 3 million more. In FY 2024, that number was up to 12,400 grams of fentanyl. So let's be clear, these numbers increasing actually represent more devastated families and more deaths," Senator Britt continued.

Throughout the hearing, the witnesses told their personal stories linked to fentanyl. Senator Britt thanked Puerta and Norring for their powerful testimony. She urged everyone listening to share their testimony in order to spread awareness and prevent others from losing a loved one.

"I have sat across from far too many parents in my short time in the United States Senate [who] are grieving, just as you two are. And I just want to say again, thank you for sharing your story . . . You are changing lives. You're here today not only to see change in law, but to make sure that we save lives and that no one else has to go through what you did. So thank you for sharing your story, and I can promise you with every ounce of me, we're going to do everything possible to elevate it."

Senator Britt doubled down on her commitment to stopping the flow of fentanyl into our nation and our communities. In her questions, she asked Orange County, California, Sheriff Don Barnes to speak to the importance of coordinated efforts by both Congress and President Trump to address the fentanyl crisis and close the southern border.

"I think if you look just from post 9/11 where we are today, the threat horizon is much broader than it was back 24 years ago. And it's encompassing all these other categorical crimes, cyber, fentanyl, human trafficking. They are all on the same platform," said Sheriff Barnes. "Specific to fentanyl, we have to work laterally and vertically. And that means vertically with our federal partners, our state partners, and our local partners. Laterally, with all the different efforts being put forth on the trafficking entities that are disparately addressing this issue, but we're not synergizing those efforts very well. I believe that we have a problem with communications. If we're going to do a great offense, we have to communicate with our federal partners at the border, find out where their efforts are, how we can pivot around those to get the end-around from the cartels."

Senator Britt also spoke to her strong support of the Halt All Lethal Trafficking (HALT) of Fentanyl Act, legislation which would classify fentanyl-related substances as Schedule I drugs under the Controlled Substances Act. "In my view, we need to be as bold as possible when it comes to taking steps to protecting American children and families from the scourge of fentanyl. That's one of the reasons I am a co-sponsor of the HALT Fentanyl Act," said Senator Britt.

She went on to ask emergency physician Dr. Tim Westlake to speak to his work on the front lines of the opioid epidemic, specifically his efforts as a leader in Fentanyl Related Substances (FRS) class scheduling.

Dr. Westlake said, "The myths that were there were initially that there would be people . . . unduly incarcerated. It's already proven through the GAO Report and since then that people aren't being incarcerated for it for the same reason that people aren't dying from it, is because it doesn't exist . . . One thing that's the lowest hanging fruit you can address is just permanently scheduling fentanyl related substances. There's no impact on criminal justice that's negative. It saves people's lives. It's a proven strategy."