Chuck Schumer Demands Trump Administration Reverse 91% Cut To State Department's International Narcotic Programs

Forbes Breaking News

During remarks on the Senate floor Tuesday, Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) spoke about the Trump administration's cuts to the State Department's international narcotics control programs.

Transcript

00:00On fentanyl. Donald Trump promised on the campaign trail he would hold the

00:04Chinese government accountable to stop the fentanyl crisis. Over a hundred days

00:09into office, Donald Trump has failed on both accounts. Meanwhile, Donald Trump is

00:15also handed over all leverage to China through his stupid trade war. And now he's

00:20trying to gut key State Department programs that hurt that curb the flow

00:25of fentanyl into America. Today I joined three of my colleagues in demanding

00:31Secretaries Rubio and Besant use all possible diplomatic tools to push the

00:37People's Republic of China to take immediate action to stop the flow of

00:41fentanyl into America. This administration should also scrap the misguided 91% cut,

00:5091% to the State Department's international narcotics control and

00:55enforcement programs included in the president's budget proposal. Instead of

01:01working to hold China accountable and stop this crisis in its tracks, the Trump

01:06administration has to rage the destructive trade war with China and blamed allies

01:11like Canada for our fentanyl problem. And now Donald Trump's budget is trying to gut

01:16protect key programs that could actually do something about the problem. So

01:20specifically, I urge the Trump administration to first push the Chinese

01:25government to do three things. Do a better job policing illicit fentanyl and

01:30precursor chemical trafficking, increase precursor scheduling, and stop the

01:35illicit financing of precursor chemicals in China. We need commitments on all

01:39three points. Second, the Trump administration must use every diplomatic tool

01:44available to stop the flow of fentanyl into America. And finally, the Trump

01:49administration must immediately end cuts to programs that actually address the

01:55fentanyl crisis. When I met with President Xi two years ago, I told him

02:00directly about the devastating impact of the opioid crisis on American families. I

02:04demanded to President Xi that the Chinese government take immediate action to cut

02:09off the supply of precursor chemicals that are fueling this crisis. Some steps were

02:14taken, some important steps, but much more is needed from the Chinese government. And

02:19the President and his team should be working with the PRC to get these

02:23concessions and cooperation, rather than the current strategy, destroy our influence

02:29and competition with the PRC abroad.

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