Washington, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senator Bob Casey (D-PA) released the following statement on the Senate passage of the national security supplemental and the FEND Off Fentanyl Act by a vote of 70-29:
“Early this morning, the Senate finally passed a critical national security supplemental package to support Ukraine, Israel, and our allies in the Indo-Pacific, while also providing humanitarian aid to civilians in Gaza and around the globe living in combat zones. This bill is a signal to Vladimir Putin, Hamas, and our adversaries worldwide that the United States will always stand up for democracy, freedom, and our allies. The Senate also again passed the FEND Off Fentanyl Act, which would target the financial assets of the transnational criminal organizations producing fentanyl, from the chemical suppliers in China to the Mexican cartels producing and smuggling fentanyl into the U.S. It is now time for the House to stand on the side of the American people—and against Vladimir Putin, Hamas, Chinese criminal organizations, and Mexican drug cartels—and pass this bill quickly.
“However, with the omission of bipartisan border security provisions, we have missed an opportunity to make real progress on securing our border and stopping the flow of fentanyl coming from Mexico. Most of the fentanyl is being smuggled through official border crossings in vehicles and cargo and at present, our border protection officers do not have enough of the tools or resources they need to detect and stop fentanyl smuggling. We had a bipartisan deal on the table and Senate Republicans walked away because their party’s leader told them that he’d rather campaign on the problem than solve it. In the coming months, as the crisis at the border continues, the American people will know that one party walked away from their duty to act.”
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 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. Finally, 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.
After months of bipartisan negotiations, a national security and border security package was released on February 4, 2024. Casey endorsed the bill, which included funding to secure the southwest border by hiring additional border protection officers and providing additional border security inspection technology and equipment to detect and stop fentanyl flowing into the United States through official ports of entry along the southwest border—provisions also included in Senator Casey’s Stop Fentanyl at the Border Act. The deal was also endorsed by the union representing U.S. Border Protection officers, claiming it would “drop illegal border crossings nationwide and will allow our agents to get back to detecting and apprehending those who want to cross our border illegally and evade apprehension.” However, on February 7, Senate Republicans killed the border security provisions of the package, after the former President came out against the deal.
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