Dear [firstname],

The illicit drug crisis is deeply personal for me. For more than 30 years, my mother struggled with an opioid use disorder. What started as an overprescription of pain medication after a back injury, later led to heroin and fentanyl use. After getting the help she needs, my mom has been in recovery for over 5 years — but many aren’t as lucky. That's why I have made it my mission in Congress to address this public health crisis head-on, and I am proud of what we've been able to achieve so far. 

My first bill, the Stop the Import of Fentanyl Act, will create a National Center dedicated to combating the import and distribution of fentanyl and other drugs. This center would be formed under the Drug Enforcement Administration and investigate how synthetic drugs come into the country. It would also create a strategic plan for breaking up the synthetic drug trade, track the movements of drug traffickers, and serve as the central knowledge bank on drug trafficking organizations.This is crucial to tackling this public health crisis.

Last month, my Preventing the Financing of Illegal Synthetic Drugs Act passed the House. I introduced this bipartisan legislation with Republican Congresswoman Monica De La Cruz of Texas to help shed light on the finances of drug trafficking organizations. Deaths involving synthetic opioids, such as illicit fentanyl and methamphetamine, increased by 22 percent in 2021 and continue to rise in the U.S. and globally. Stopping the organizations that traffic these drugs into our communities is an important first step in reversing these current trends.

My mom wouldn’t be alive today without naloxone, the overdose reversal drug. We must ensure life-saving medication like this is available in as many places as possible, including on planes. That’s why I introduced legislation directing the Federal Aviation Administration to require opioid overdose medication to be carried on all airplanes. I also worked alongside Congresswoman Jasmine Crockett from Texas to introduce the STRIP Act to decriminalize the purchase of fentanyl test strips.

As long as I’m in Congress, I will continue to fight this public health epidemic and work on legislation to protect American families.

Thank you for reading,