Securing the International Mail Against Opioids Act of 2018

Floor Speech

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Mr. BRADY of Texas. Mr. Speaker, there aren't many today who haven't been touched by the opioid crisis in America. This swift and devastating epidemic has hit every community in America and robbed countless individuals of their hopes and ambitions.

Addiction is devastating to witness and, in some cases, it only takes 5 days for someone's son, daughter, or parent to become addicted. The sad truth is that, all too often, many become addicted after taking an opioid for a legitimate reason. This is an epidemic that has torn apart families and left in its path of destruction a generation of children without parents and parents faced with burying their kids.

We have also seen more and more news stories of law enforcement agents having near-fatal encounters with just trace amounts of these synthetic opioids such as fentanyl. In one case, a small fleck almost killed a police officer in Ohio. This is a frightening reminder of how dangerous these substances truly are.

The loss of so many Americans due to opioid addiction is unfathomable. In 2016 alone, more Americans died due to opioid overdoses than were lost over the entire Vietnam war.

The scale of the crisis is immense. The loss of potential for so many is hard to comprehend, but House Republicans and Democrats are coming together in fighting with every tool in our arsenal to combat the opioid crisis.

That is why today I rise in strong support of H.R. 5788, known as the STOP Act. This bipartisan bill addresses a serious problem that has helped fuel the opioid epidemic: cheap and illegal synthetic opioids shipped from foreign nations through the international mail. From our speakers today you have learned about the proven techniques to stop this drug smuggling.

Mr. Speaker, I want to thank the leaders who brought this solution to the floor. I thank Congressman Bishop of Michigan, the author of this bill, for his leadership; as well as Ranking Member Pascrell of New Jersey; chairman of the Trade Subcommittee, David Reichert of Washington; Congressman John Faso of New York; and Senator Portman from Ohio for their diligent work to deliver a hard-hitting solution to this very serious problem.

I am confident that this bill, shaped by Republicans and Democrats working together, will make a difference in the opioid crisis and help protect many Americans. By passing this bill, we can take meaningful action to help stop the flow of the illegal smuggling of opioids into this Nation.

I urge my colleagues to join in supporting this bill.

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