In New Letter Majority Leader Schumer Presses Biden Administration On China’s Fentanyl Commitments

New York, N.Y. – Today, Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) sent the following letter to Secretary of State Antony Blinken, Attorney General Merrick Garland, and ONDCP Director Dr. Rahul Gupta calling for further action to ensure continued diplomatic efforts between the People’s Republic of China (PRC) and the United States to crack down on the flow of illicit fentanyl.

Today, Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) pressed Secretary of State Antony Blinken, as well as Attorney General Merrick B. Garland and Office of National Drug Control Policy Director Dr. Rahul Gupta, on the Biden Administration’s efforts to hold the People’s Republic of China accountable for their commitments to crack down on the flow of illicit fentanyl.

Nearly one year ago, Leader Schumer led a bipartisan congressional delegation to China and met with President Xi, as well as other high-ranking PRC officials. One of Leader Schumer’s biggest priorities on this trip was having a candid discussion about the need for the PRC to take more aggressive action to stop the flow of precursor chemicals for fentanyl that is fueling the opioid crisis in America. Earlier this year, President Biden signed the FEND Off Fentanyl Act into law, which Leader Schumer included in the bipartisan national security legislation.

“Fentanyl has wreaked havoc on our country, unfortunately affecting too many communities and claiming too many lives,” said Leader Schumer. “When I met with President Xi, I told him directly about the devastating impact of the opioid crisis on American families and that the PRC could take immediate action to cut off the supply of precursor chemicals that are fueling this crisis. While I am pleased there has been some action taken by the PRC following my push, there is so much more to do to stop the scourge of fentanyl and the Biden Administration must continue to engage in an all-hands-on-deck approach to this serious problem. Too many lives are at stake.

“Absent movement on these priorities, it is critical that the Administration maintain the designation of the PRC on the Majors List as a Major Drug Transit or Major Illicit Drug Producing Country for FY2025,” Schumer continued. “The United States must work with urgency to take these decisive and meaningful steps to curb the fentanyl crisis as Congress simultaneously continue to assess further legislative options.”

Thanks to the Administration’s continued engagement, and Leader Schumer’s actions, President Xi and the PRC have taken productive steps to address this concern. But there is more to do to hold the PRC accountable. Specifically, Leader Schumer outlines three additional steps in this letter that he urges the Administration to take:

1. “Take additional law enforcement actions to exert sustained pressure that cracks down on Chinese companies, online marketplaces, and individuals who are involved in illicit precursor chemical and fentanyl trade and publicly announce the results of these actions. Such action is critical to deterring this type of activity that is already deemed illegal by the PRC. I have no doubt that the PRC can act swiftly to enforce its own law if there is a real commitment to addressing this crisis.

2. “Take additional steps domestically to schedule the main precursor chemicals involved in the production of illicit fentanyl. While the PRC has taken some positive steps as previously mentioned, there are significant gaps in the scheduling of precursor chemicals that have been scheduled at the international level.

3. “Crack down on money laundering and underground banks used to move illicit profits as part of the illicit fentanyl trade. Recent action by the U.S Department of Justice against underground banking networks in China, and operating globally, demonstrates the need for increased efforts from the PRC to restrict these illicit financial networks and banks that seek to evade PRC laws.”

Schumer also urged the Administration that absent PRC progress on these critical actions, they should maintain the designation of the PRC as a Major Drug Transit or Major Illicit Drug Producing country for FY2025.

The full text of the letter can be seen here.

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