Stop Chinese Fentanyl Act of 2025

Mr. Speaker, I thank my friend from Washington State and Chairman Mast for supporting the legislation. I thank my friend, the ranking member, the gentleman from New York (Mr. Meeks), for his bipartisan support, as well.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of my legislation, H.R. 747, the Stop Chinese Fentanyl Act.

The fentanyl crisis is one of the most significant threats to our country and continues to plague families and neighbors across the United States.

My home State of Kentucky, sadly, has been ravaged by the fentanyl crisis.

Drug overdoses are the leading cause of death for Americans aged 18 to 45, and fentanyl is responsible for nearly 70 percent of these deaths.

Last year, the DEA seized more than 60 million fentanyl-laced fake pills in the United States and almost 8,000 pounds of fentanyl power equal to more than 380 million lethal doses of fentanyl.

As of last month, the 2025 seizures of fentanyl equate to over 232 million deadly doses and 70,000 of our fellow Americans succumbed to this poison. In 2024, over 1,400 Kentuckians lost their lives to a drug overdose, including fentanyl.

Unfortunately, this scourge has spread with the help of our greatest strategic adversary, the People's Republic of China and the Chinese Communist Party.

As a member of the Select Committee on the Strategic Competition Between the United States and the Chinese Communist Party, we conducted an investigation, and that investigation in the last Congress established that the PRC Government, under the control of the Chinese Communist Party, directly subsidizes the manufacturing and export of illicit fentanyl materials and other synthetic narcotics through tax rebates.

Many of these substances are illegal under the PRC's own laws and have no known legal use worldwide. Like its export tax rebates for legitimate goods, the CCP's subsidies of illegal drugs incentivize international synthetic drug sales from the People's Republic of China, and the CCP never disclosed this program.

In addition, the select committee found that the CCP gave monetary grants and awards to companies openly trafficking illicit fentanyl materials and other synthetic narcotics. There are even examples of some of these companies enjoying site visits from provincial PRC Government officials, who complimented them for their impact on the provincial economy.

The CCP holds an ownership interest in several PRC companies tied to drug trafficking, including a PRC Government prison connected to human rights abuses, owning a drug trafficking chemical company, and a publicly traded PRC company hosting thousands of instances of open drug trafficking on its sites.

The PRC failed to prosecute fentanyl and precursor manufacturers. Rather than investigating drug traffickers, the Government of the PRC security services have not cooperated with U.S. law enforcement and have even notified targets of U.S. investigations when they receive requests for assistance.

The PRC allows for the open sale of fentanyl precursors and other illicit materials on the extensively monitored and controlled PRC internet. A review of just seven e-commerce sites found over 31,000 instances of PRC companies selling illicit chemicals with obvious ties to drug trafficking. Undercover communications with PRC drug trafficking companies revealed an eagerness to engage in clearly illicit drug

sales with no fear of reprisal. The government in China censors content about domestic drug sales, but leaves export-focused narcotic content untouched.

We know that China has historically been and remains the primary source of fentanyl in global circulation through the production of these precursor chemicals and outsourcing the final production to cartel labs in Mexico. That is why it is paramount that Congress pass my legislation that is being considered here today, the Stop Chinese Fentanyl Act.

My bill amends the Fentanyl Sanctions Act to expand the definition of ``foreign opioid trafficker'' to include certain Chinese entities and government officials that fail to take steps to prevent opioid trafficking, subjecting them to sanctions. The bill also requires the President to determine whether the heads of the National Narcotics Control Commission, the Ministry of Public Security, the General Administration of Customs, and the National Medical Products Administration of the Government of the PRC are foreign opioid traffickers.

We must attack the production of fentanyl by targeting the source of precursors in China.

Chinese producers of synthetic opioids and opioid precursors and senior government and Chinese political officials' culpability does not end when their precursor products land in Mexico or illegally cross our southern border. We must look at every step of fentanyl's deadly supply chain and hold our adversaries accountable.

Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support this legislation.

Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 747) to impose sanctions with respect to Chinese producers of synthetic opioids and opioid precursors, to hold Chinese officials accountable for the spread of illicit fentanyl, and for other purposes, as amended.

Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous material on this measure.

Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.

Mr. Speaker, I rise in strong support of Representative Barr's Stop Chinese Fentanyl Act of 2025.

Fentanyl is the leading cause of death for Americans aged 18 to 45. It is killing over 70,000 Americans a year, and it is flooding into our communities with deadly force.

We know where it is coming from. The vast majority of illegal fentanyl in the U.S. originates in China. Chinese labs manufacture the chemicals. Chinese traffickers supply the cartels, and American families pay the price in lives lost.

This bill holds the Chinese Communist Party accountable. It gives our government stronger tools to sanction Chinese entities involved in the fentanyl trade and puts pressure on the CCP to shut down the labs that fuel this crisis.

It is time to treat this for what it is: a national security threat.

The Stop Chinese Fentanyl Act sends a clear message: The United States will not sit back while foreign actors profit from American pain.

Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support this critical legislation, and I reserve the balance of my time.

House of Representatives,

Committee on the Judiciary,

Washington, DC, August 29, 2025.

Hon. Brian Mast,

Chairman, Committee on Foreign Affairs,

House of Representatives, Washington, DC.

Dear Chairman Mast: I write regarding H.R. 747, the Stop

Chinese Fentanyl Act of 2025. Provisions of this bill fall

within the Judiciary Committee's Rule X jurisdiction, and I

appreciate that you consulted with us on those provisions.

The Judiciary Committee agrees that it shall be discharged

from further consideration of the bill so that it may proceed

expeditiously to the House floor.

The Committee takes this action with the understanding that

forgoing further consideration of this measure does not in

any way alter the Committee's jurisdiction or waive any

future jurisdictional claim over these provisions or their

subject matter. We also reserve the right to seek appointment

of an appropriate number of conferees in the event of a

conference with the Senate involving this measure or similar

legislation.

I ask that you please insert this letter in the

Congressional Record during consideration of H.R. 747 on the

House floor. I appreciate the cooperative manner in which our

committees have worked on this matter, and I look forward to

working collaboratively in the future on matters of shared

jurisdiction. Thank you for your attention to this matter.

Sincerely,

Jim Jordan,

Chairman.

Mr. Speaker, I yield 5 minutes to the gentleman from Kentucky (Mr. Barr), the sponsor of this fine piece of legislation.

Mr. Speaker, the Stop Chinese Fentanyl Act of 2025 is not just about policy. It is about saving American lives. We must hold China accountable for its role in this deadly epidemic. Congress must take a stand against the poison devastating our communities.

Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, on that I demand the yeas and nays.

Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.

Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of H.R. 747, as amended.

The opioid crisis has claimed too many lives. We have seen some real progress the last few years in part because of domestic and international policies put in place by President Biden, including getting President Xi to do more to stop fentanyl precursors from reaching our shores. Of course, the issue is far from solved.

This bill will strengthen sanctions on major Chinese producers of fentanyl and those who aid and abet opioid traffickers. If you are knowingly sending deadly chemicals to American citizens, you absolutely must be sanctioned, and I would encourage President Trump and Secretary Bessent to focus more on this issue.

That said, we cannot sanction our way out of the fentanyl crisis. Sanctions are an important tool, but cooperation is essential. If we want countries to limit the fentanyl precursor exports and prevent these substances from entering our communities, we need the active partnership of law enforcement in nations like China and Mexico.

This is just a simple fact. Tough talk has its place, but effective diplomacy and law enforcement cooperation are indispensable.

Let me be clear. Use of military force is not a viable solution.

Mr. Speaker, I thank my friend, Representative Barr, for his advocacy on this important issue. Congress works on behalf of the American people best when we work together, and Mr. Barr and I worked together on several issues in this Congress. Both sides worked in good faith to get this bill done last Congress and again here today.

Mr. Speaker, I encourage my colleagues to support this measure, and I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I yield myself the balance of my time for the purpose of closing.

As I have indicated, I support this bill because sanctions have a role in curbing the opioid crisis, but they are only a sliver of the solution.

Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support this bill, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I was unavoidably absent in the House chamber today to accompany my son for his first day of school. Had I been present, I would have voted YEA on Roll Call No. 219 and YEA on Roll Call No. 220.

Mr. Speaker, I was unable to vote today due to an important personal matter. Had I been present, I would have voted YEA on Roll Call No. 219 and YEA on Roll Call No. 220.