In a letter to President Joe Biden, U.S. Rep. Barry Moore (R-Mobile) is urging the White House bolster border security efforts and combat the rise of illicit fentanyl trafficking.
Moore is pledging to oppose the fiscal year 2023 appropriations package unless language is included “to strengthen and restore the integrity of the southern border and protect the American people, especially our children, from deadly fentanyl.”
The congressman’s letter was first reported by Breitbart.
According to Moore, “every single drug trafficker south of the border would vote for Joe Biden for president” due to his administration’s border security policies.
“Biden’s policies have devastated our border and fueled a never-before-seen explosion in the illegal trafficking of drugs, especially deadly fentanyl, into communities across the U.S. No one is outside of the reach of this deadly drug,” Moore told Breitbart. “President Biden must take concrete actions to reverse these trends and implement policies to strengthen border integrity – which must include building a wall – and end the demonization of law enforcement.
“Our border is at the breaking point, and Congress must protect our children by standing firm and demanding action.”
According to Moore’s office, more than 100,000 Americans died from synthetic opioid-related overdose deaths over the course of a 12-month period ending May 2022. Among those deaths, fentanyl was the primary lethal drug.
China is the primary source of fentanyl illegally trafficked into the United States, according to the Drug Enforcement Administration. The illicit narcotic is the No. 1 killer of adults 18-45.
Moore was joined by 10 of his Republican colleagues in requesting the Biden administration take specific steps to bolster security measures along the U.S.-Mexico border.
The congressmen are asking that the president resume construction of the border wall, restore former President Donald Trump’s immigration policies, meet with Customs and Border Protection and Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
The letter’s authors also request that the White House permanently classify fentanyl as a Schedule I drug.
U.S. Reps. Ralph Norman (R-S.C.), Pete Sessions (R-Texas), Andy Biggs (R-Ariz.), Jim Banks (R-Ind.), Mary Miller (R-Ill.), Andrew Clyde (R-Ga.), Paul Gosar (R-Ariz.), Alex Mooney (R-W. Va.), Greg Steube (R-Fla.), and Ronny Jackson (R-Texas) joined Moore in sending the letter.
Dylan Smith is the editor of Yellowhammer News. You can follow him on Twitter @DylanSmithAL
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