Flood Of Fentanyl Coming In Through US Postal Service Targeted In Senate Opioid Package
“We are being overrun with fentanyl,” said Sen. Rob Portman (R-Ohio) “It is 50 times more powerful than heroin. It is very inexpensive. It is coming primarily from China and coming primarily through our U.S. Postal Service, if you can believe it.”
The New York Times:
Senate Poised To Pass Bill To Stop Flow Of Opioids Through The Mail
The Senate appears poised this week to pass a bill intended to shut a window through which fentanyl and other opioids pour into the United States from China through the mail, as lawmakers search desperately for ways to combat an epidemic affecting people of all ages and income levels across the country. The measure, part of a bipartisan package of legislation to fight the opioid crisis, requires the United States Postal Service to collect electronic information on merchandise arriving in this country, so customs inspectors can screen parcels for fentanyl and other contraband. (Pear, 9/10)
In other news from Capitol Hill —
The Wall Street Journal:
Congress Unveils Funding Deal In Race To Avoid Shutdown
Lawmakers struck a bipartisan deal Monday on a trio of spending bills they hope to pass this week in a rare example of Congress reaching an agreement over funding part of the federal government weeks before the next fiscal year begins. House and Senate negotiators announced Monday afternoon they had hammered out an agreement on three spending bills totaling almost $147 billion, including funding for the Energy Department, Veterans Affairs and the legislative branch of government. (Peterson, 9/10)
