WASHINGTON – Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa), ranking member of the Senate
Judiciary Committee, is calling on the Biden administration to collaborate with
Congress on a permanent solution to combatting deadly synthetic fentanyl – a
leading cause of opioid overdoses. In letters to President Biden, the Justice
Department and the Office of National Drug Control Policy (ONDCP), Grassley underscored
rising fentanyl-related overdose deaths and the need to work across the aisle
on a permanent solution.
While
the Biden Administration has acknowledged the need to control fentanyl
analogues, it also abandoned a 2019 legislative proposal by an interagency
working group tasked with finding a solution. And though Congress has
traditionally passed long-term extensions of class-wide restrictions on
fentanyl analogues, Congressional Democrats demanded a much shorter stopgap
last month, significantly truncating the window to develop a permanent
solution.
“We must
take long-term, sustainable action, which can only be achieved if we work
together. I look forward to our continued dialogue and relationship on finding
permanent solutions to controlling fentanyl related substances, and truly hope
the next 5 months are spent wisely,” Grassley
wrote.
Grassley
introduced
bipartisan legislation to extend expiring
restrictions for 14 months as Congress explores a permanent policy on fentanyl
analogues. Ultimately, Congressional Democrats opted for a
five-month extension, which was signed into law
last week.
Grassley’s
letter to President Biden is available
HERE.
Grassley’s
letter to the Justice Department and ONDCP is available
HERE.
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