Sen. Jon Tester (D-MT), facing reelection next year, is backing a crackdown on fentanyl pouring into the United States after previously blocking hundreds of millions in funding to help stop the flow of the deadly drug through the nation’s southern border.
In a video message posted this week, Tester said, “Too many Montana families are reeling from the dangerous flow of fentanyl coming across our borders and into our communities,” noting that he and other lawmakers have sent a letter to President Joe Biden asking the administration to act on the issue.
“The truth is, I’m sick and tired of Washington politicians’ lip service when it comes to securing our borders and keeping our communities safe,” Tester said:
That’s why I just sent a letter to President Biden … urging this administration to invest in technology that will help our brave men and women in law enforcement crack down on illicit drug trafficking. Getting our Border Patrol agents the tools they need to scan vehicles and ships entering our Ports of Entry so they can seize contraband is just common sense. [Emphasis added]
Montana shouldn’t have to wait another minute to feel safe from the scourage of fentanyl and I’ll hold the administration’s feet to the fire until this is done. [Emphasis added]
Photos of fentanyl victims are on display at The Faces of Fentanyl Memorial at the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration headquarters on September 27, 2022 in Arlington, Virginia. (Alex Wong/Getty Images)
Photos of fentanyl victims are on display at The Faces of Fentanyl Memorial at the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration headquarters on September 27, 2022 in Arlington, Virginia. (Alex Wong/Getty Images)
Tester’s comments come after he previously opposed spending hundreds of millions of dollars on chemical screening for Customs and Border Protection (CBP) agents at the border’s Ports of Entry to better catch drug traffickers smuggling fentanyl.
Specifically, in 2021, Tester was among 50 Senate Democrats who successfully blocked sending an additional $300 million to invest in chemical screening devices for CBP agents. The amendment, if passed, would have been added to Biden’s American Rescue Plan.
Now, the Biden administration admits that more chemical screening devices are needed at the border to crack down on the fentanyl crisis.
In 2020, nearly 200 Montana residents died of drug overdoses and poisonings — many of which were linked to fentanyl. Compare that figure to 2005 when fewer than 100 Montana residents died from drug overdoses and poisonings, indicating a nearly 70 percent increase in less than two decades.
Nationally, more than 100,000 Americans die every year from drug overdoses, including tiny doses of fentanyl. Put another way, the U.S. is losing a population the size of South Bend, Indiana, every year from drugs, primarily coming across the border.
John Binder is a reporter for Breitbart News. Email him at jbinder@breitbart.com. Follow him on Twitter here.