A press conference is called by Congressman Raja Krishnamoorthi in order to bring attention to the fentanyl pandemic.

June 1 :
Toni Preckwinkle, president of the Cook County Health Board of Commissioners, and Raja Krishnamoorthi, an Indian-American congressman, addressed the fentanyl epidemic in Illinois at a press conference on May 28. Krishnamoorthi has been an outspoken supporter of legislation to increase financing for frontline healthcare professionals and expand access to naloxone since he took office in 2017.

Treatment centres and diversion programmes in Chicago have also received financial help from him. On a global scale, this crisis has been tackled by Krishnamoorthi, who serves as the Ranking Member of the Select Committee on the Strategic Competition between the US and the CCP (CCP).

Krishnamoorthi made the announcement after research indicated that the PRC is the likely source of nearly all of the illicit fentanyl that makes its way into the United States. This means that lives in Illinois and throughout the nation can be saved by preventing the export of fentanyl and the chemicals used to produce it from the PRC. The statement went on to say that the reason the Committee spent months looking into the CCP's involvement in the crisis was because of this.

A 64-page paper summarising their results and suggesting specific policy remedies to aid victims has been released by Krishnamoorthi after extensive investigation. According to his inquiry, the CCP has been directly subsidising the export of fentanyl precursors and has overlooked, despite the US providing overwhelming evidence, the export of these chemicals by PRC enterprises for obviously criminal objectives.

"Producing the chemicals that fuel the fentanyl epidemic has been encouraged by CCP policy, which means that tax breaks have been provided."

At the news conference, Krishnamoorthi noted that Congress has a critical role to play in halting the supply of these lethal narcotics, in addition to supporting local initiatives to battle the fentanyl crisis. The FEND Off Fentanyl Act was a major legislative suggestion that came out of the inquiry.

Legislation pertaining to sanctions and anti-money laundering was enacted and signed into law within seven days following the recommendation of the Committee's report. The plan's stated goal is to reduce the profitability of fentanyl trafficking and smuggling by cracking down on opioid traffickers and money launderers. The FEND Off Fentanyl Act is a big step in the right direction, according to Krishnamoorthi, but there's still a long way to go until the fentanyl pandemic is contained.