Mother of fentanyl victim calls for bipartisan action after attending SOTU
Laura Didier's son was 17 when he died from a fentanyl-laced pill.
Republican Sen. Joni Ernst of Iowa claimed Friday that China is intentionally "poisoning America" through its continued production and sale of fentanyl.
Ernst recently traveled to the border with a congressional delegation aimed at understanding crime and national security threats posed by rampant illegal immigration.
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Illegal immigrants gather next to the U.S.-Mexico border fence in El Paso, Texas, on Dec. 22, 2022. (John Moore/Getty Images)
"The Chinese are selling these precursor chemicals into Mexico. Then the Mexican cartels are working on making the fentanyl and distributing up into the United States," Ernst told CBS on Friday.
According to the Drug Enforcement Agency, China continues to be the primary source of fentanyl being imported into the United States, killing more than 100 Americans every day. It also continues to be the primary source of fentanyl for the rest of the world.
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Sen. Joni Ernst, R-Iowa, speaks during a press conference following the weekly Senate Republican policy luncheon in the Russell Senate Office Building on Capitol Hill on Jan. 19, 2022, in Washington, D.C. (Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images)
"I think that the Chinese are intentionally poisoning America," Ernst continued. "And of course, the Chinese don't want to assist us with this."
Two techniques are used to deliver the drug to the U.S. It is either shipped to the U.S. directly via international mail or shipped via Mexico. In some cases, Chinese sellers label these deadly drug shipments with Spanish-language advertisements to help clear customs. U.S. lawmakers say the crime syndicates in China operate with the knowledge of the Communist Party.
"When we see an adversary like China poisoning our communities, it's very disconcerting. So we have to educate the American people," Ernst said. "We have to work with our Mexican counterparts to push back against the cartel and the Chinese. We can't continue to lose our youth to this fentanyl epidemic. It is extremely important that we push back."
Rainbow fentanyl pills. The Drug Enforcement Administration's office in Houston said it seized more than 7 million fatal fentanyl doses in 2022. (U.S. State Department )
The People's Republic of China released a report Thursday rejecting accusations from U.S. officials and law enforcement that the communist nation is supplying the drug trade, and instead sought to blame Americans.
The report, titled "Drug Abuse in the United States," details the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs' (MFA) assessment of cultural and governmental factors driving fatal the narcotics epidemic across the U.S.
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"The fight against drugs requires, first and foremost, one's own efforts. At the same time, it also needs cooperation among all countries. The United States should stop making unwarranted accusations against China and undermining China-U.S. counter-narcotics cooperation," the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs wrote in the report.. "Even less should it mislead the public and shift its responsibility for ineffective response to drug abuse at home onto others."
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