National security bill includes aid to Ukraine, Israel, Taiwan, as well as humanitarian aid to Gaza
Package also includes FEND Off Fentanyl Act, to crack down on fentanyl manufacturers and traffickers
Washington, D.C. - Today, U.S. Senator Bob Casey (D-PA) applauded the passage of a national security funding bill that provides support to Ukraine and Israel and much-needed humanitarian aid to Gaza. The bill also includes the FEND Off Fentanyl Act, which Senator Casey has championed, to crack down on fentanyl manufacturers.
Senator Casey released the following statement:
“This critical national security funding bill sends a clear message to our adversaries that the United States will always push back against authoritarians, terrorists, cartels, and those who threaten democracy and freedom. With this overwhelmingly bipartisan vote, Ukraine and Israel will get the military support they need, Palestinians caught in the crosshairs of the Israel-Hamas war will receive humanitarian aid, and Taiwan and our allies in the Indo-Pacific will be able to deter aggression from the Chinese Communist Party.
“In passing the FEND Off Fentanyl Act, we are finally cracking down on the Chinese criminal organizations and Mexican cartels who manufacture and traffic fentanyl into the United States. As I travel across Pennsylvania, I’ve heard from far too many families who have lost a loved one to the fentanyl crisis, and I carry their stories with me to Washington as I’ve pushed to get this bill passed. While we’ll never be able to bring their loved ones back, I hope this brings a measure of justice to these families knowing that the transnational criminals responsible for the fentanyl crisis will finally be held accountable for their devastation.”
The national security supplemental includes much-needed support to Ukraine as it fights back against Vladimir Putin’s brutal invasion and assistance to Israel in its war against the terrorist group Hamas. Additionally, it provides much needed humanitarian assistance to provide food, water, shelter, medical care, and other essential services to civilians in Gaza and the West Bank, Ukraine, and others caught in conflict zones around the world. The bill includes aid to U.S. allies in the Indo-Pacific to deter aggression by the Chinese government. The package also includes the FEND Off Fentanyl Act, which targets, sanctions, and blocks the financial assets of transnational criminal organizations, from the chemical suppliers in China to the cartels that traffic the drugs from Mexico. Casey has been traveling around Pennsylvania meeting with law enforcement and families of victims of fentanyl overdoses as he pushes for passage of the FEND Off Fentanyl Act. The Senate originally passed this bill back in February, but the House of Representatives finally voted to pass it last week.
