Rep. Johnson introduces 3 bills to combat China’s complicity in U.S. fentanyl epidemic

RAPID CITY, S.D. (KOTA) - According to the DEA, one gram of fentanyl, equivalent to the size of a sugar packet, can kill up to 500 people.

On Tuesday, U.S. Representative Dusty Johnson and the Select Committee on China’s Fentanyl Policy Working Group introduced three bills to fight the ongoing fentanyl crisis in America.

The Select Committee on the Chinese Communist Party, established in 2023, focuses on the raising of awareness, investigation and policy recommendations concerning the competition between the CCP and the United States’ economic, technological and security advancements.

Representative Johnson was appointed to the Fentanyl Policy Working Group within the Select Committee in June 2024.

The bills introduced aim to hold China accountable for its role and complicity in the fentanyl epidemic in the U.S.

“China has been flooding our nation with fentanyl for years, profiting on the destruction and poisoning of American lives,” Johnson said. “‘Getting tough on China’ includes cracking down on their money-making fentanyl scheme, which is devastating American families. These bills will curb the flow of fentanyl and make our streets safer.”

The first bill introduced in the legislation is the Joint Task Force to Counter Illicit Synthetic Narcotics Act of 2024, which would establish a task force primarily focused on countering opioids like fentanyl. The task force would include many federal representatives, including but not limited to: The DEA, IRS Criminal Investigation and U.S. Customs and Border Protection.

If passed, the director of this task force would be appointed by the President, with authorization from the Senate.

The next bill introduced in the legislation is The CCP Fentanyl Sanctions Act, which targets what the author has dubbed the “Achilles’ heel” of fentanyl producers: Their access to the U.S. banking system through legal activity.

Chairman Moolenaar says earlier this spring, the Select Committee discovered programs China has in place that reward the exportation of fentanyl and other drugs illegal under Chinese law to the U.S.

This bill would establish new and expand upon existing enforcements against any persons involved in fentanyl trafficking, in addition to targeting any People’s Republic of China’s vessels, ports and online marketplaces involved in the illegal sale of synthetic narcotics.

The final bill introduced in the legislation is the International Protection from PRC Fentanyl and Other Synthetic Opioids Act, which would introduce compliance requirements for PRC ports, vessels and exporters, and impose civil penalties on those that fail to put into practice safeguards against illegal fentanyl exportation.

If passed, the civil penalties could increase based on the value of goods found. The Select Committee says any such penalties would go towards funding anti-trafficking efforts.