Jefferson Reporter

U.S. Senator Katie Britt addressed the fentanyl crisis in America during a speech on the Senate floor, urging Congress to take action against the influx of these drugs into the country. She shared stories of young individuals who lost their lives due to fentanyl overdoses, including Daniel Puerta and Devin Norring.

Senator Britt recounted how "Jaime (Puerta, a Marine Corps Veteran) found (his son) Daniel laying on his bed, nonresponsive" after consuming what he thought was Oxycodone but was actually fentanyl. Similarly, Devin Norring's death followed after taking a pill believed to be Percocet.

She emphasized that "Daniel and Devin’s stories — and what their families have been through — are nothing less than heartbreaking," highlighting the national scope of this issue. According to the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), drug overdose deaths rank as the leading cause of death among Americans aged 18 to 45, with nearly 70% involving fentanyl or synthetic opioids in 2022.

The senator pointed out that between October 2023 and October 2024, U.S. ports seized 22,000 pounds of fentanyl. Despite this figure, it's estimated that only five to ten percent of fentanyl crossing from Mexico is intercepted by authorities.

"Our government has failed to prevent the flow of fentanyl into our country in far too many ways," she stated. Senator Britt commended President Trump's efforts to combat this issue by involving military forces at borders and collaborating with Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum and Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau.

As Chair of the Homeland Security Appropriations Subcommittee, Senator Britt expressed her commitment to providing resources for those protecting public safety. She supports legislative measures such as Senator John Kennedy’s Fairness in Fentanyl Sentencing Act and Senator Chuck Grassley’s HALT Fentanyl Act.

"The era of allowing deadly fentanyl to flow into our country is over," concluded Senator Britt. "We’re going to clean up our streets...secure our borders...and ensure that our children actually have the opportunity to live their American Dream."