Congressional Dems Block Bill to Fight Fentanyl in US, WA State

When you consider some groups and even legislators in WA state are in favor of decriminalizing hard drugs in WA state, and elsewhere, this might not come as a surprise.

Amendment giving money to DEA to help monitor drug operations blocked

Tuesday, June 28th, Congressional House Democrats blocked an amendment pushed and submitted by 4th District Rep Dan Newhouse that would have helped the DEA monitor and track drug operations.

Newhouse's amendment was to the Fiscal Year (FY) 2023 Commerce, Justice, Science, and Related Agencies Appropriations Bill, and would have given $5 million to the DEA.  According to information from Newhouse's office and GOP House Republicans, the bill would:

(set aside $5 million for the DEA's) "Investigative Technology and Cyber Support Account, which the DEA uses to capture and exploit drug trafficker communications. The amendment was blocked by Democrats during a House Appropriations Committee Markup earlier today."

The DEA program allows officials to closely monitor communications and movements of drug-related operations as they attempt to smuggle the drugs over the border. The program has been very successful far in pinpointing locations or planned routes for the drugs, allowing them to be intercepted.

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Newhouse released this statement about the bill:

“My amendment enables the DEA to carry out their important work—targeting drug traffickers that are killing our children and wreaking havoc on our communities so they can intervene before these fatal substances reach communities like mine in Central Washington.”

No information was given as to why the amendment was blocked. We all have seen story after story about how fentanyl and other drugs are killing people all over the Pacific NW and Eastern WA.