📋 Tender Overview
U.S. Sen. Mark R. Warner (D-VA) joined Sen. Bob Casey (D-PA) and six Democratic colleagues in a call to President Biden to prioritize additional resources to strengthen security at the Southwest border in order to stop the flow of illicit drugs like fentanyl through ports of entry. As states across the country, including the Commonwealth of Virginia, struggle with soaring overdose rates, U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) data shows drugs are overwhelmingly being smuggled through U.S. ports of entry. In response to CBP agents reporting finding pills in seat cushions, car batteries, metal walkers, and bicycle frames, the Senators are pushing for increased funding for security and surveillance for the Department of Homeland Security (DHS).
“We have long supported increasing funding for comprehensive measures to enhance border enforcement, management, and security,” the senators wrote. “The situation at our border is complex, and it will take continued leadership and funding to stem the flow of illicit drugs like fentanyl, smuggling, and transnational criminal organizations that operate along our border.”
Overdose deaths, particularly among young people, are increasing across the United States. In total, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimated that more than 112,000 people died from a drug overdose between May 2022 and May 2023, with fentanyl and other synthetic opioids causing the vast majority of overdoses. Virginia was among 37 states in which accidental drug overdoses were the largest cause of death for people under 40 years old in 2022.
Specifically, the senators are pushing for additional CBP agents and increased processing and screening capacity at ports of entry, as well as acquiring non-invasive inspection technology to stop drug smugglers before their fentanyl hits American fentanyl.
In addition to Sens. Warner and Casey, the letter was signed by Sens. Mark Kelly (D-AZ), Jon Tester (D-MT), Sherrod Brown (D-OH), Tammy Baldwin (D-WI), Catherine Cortez Masto (D-NV), and Jacky Rosen (D-NV).
