Will Congress pass legislation to combat fentanyl deaths?
Newsy
Scripps News explores one way Congress hopes to save lives from fentanyl overdoses, and asks whether it stands a chance of actually becoming law.
It is an issue Scripps News has chronicled for years: the rise of overdose deaths in the U.S., with many connected to fentanyl.
The latest numbers suggest that the country loses around 110,000 Americans to such overdoses annually, equivalent to the population of Dayton, Ohio, or Billings, Montana.
Congress may be on the verge of passing legislation to try to address the crisis.
The FEND Off Fentanyl Act has been included in the Senate's National Security package, which funds Ukraine, Israel and Taiwan, among other policy priorities.
The proposed legislation declares the trafficking of fentanyl across borders a national emergency and imposes new sanctions on entities connected to the drug trade.
