Sen. Cruz Applauds House Introduction of STOP TRANQ Act

WASHINGTON, D.C. - U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas), member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, this week applauded the House introduction by Reps. Vince Fong (R-Calif.-20) and Abigail Spanberger (D-Va.-7) of companion legislation to the Strengthening Tracking Of Poisonous Tranq Requiring Analyzed National Quantification (STOP TRANQ) Act. Sen. Cruz and Sen. Tim Kaine (D-Va.) introduced the legislation in the Senate earlier this year.

The STOP TRANQ Act would require the Department of State to include reporting on xylazine, or "tranq," to its annual International Narcotics Control Strategy Report (INCSR), a country-by-country report that tracks efforts to counter all aspects of the international drug trade. Requiring the Department of State to actively report on this emerging threat would enable the United to counter and respond to trends in the international drug trade contributing to America's drug crisis.

Upon introduction, Sen. Cruz said,"This introduction means that the STOP TRANQ Act now has bipartisan, bicameral momentum for passage. The spread of Tranq across American communities has become a crisis. Earlier this year, I worked with Sen. Kaine to introduce legislation combatting that spread by committing State Department resources to track the international production and sale of this deadly drug. I am proud that Reps. Fong and Spanberger have now joined us in this bipartisan fight by introducing companion legislation in the House to better fight this crisis."

Sen. Kaine,"I'm fully committed to addressing the fentanyl crisis, and we should use all tools at our disposal to do so. I'm glad my bipartisan legislation to bolster DOD's role in countering fentanyl trafficking was signed into law by President Biden last year. But as I discussed with law enforcement agencies and international partners from Mexico during my trip to the southern border last month, there's more work to do to keep Americans safe. That includes protecting our communities from illegal uses of xylazine, such as mixing it with fentanyl to create a more deadly drug. That's why Senator Cruz and I introduced the bipartisan Stop TRANQ Act and I'm glad Representatives Spanberger and Fong are joining us in introducing the same legislation in the House. I'm looking forward to working together to find a path forward for this bill."

Rep. Fong,"Tranq is a growing drug threat to all Americans and must be taken seriously as a deadly drug coming into our country. There are drugs on the streets that are killing people in our local communities especially fentanyl and the growing rise of xylazine, and we should know the trafficking patterns from other countries so that we can stop the flow of these drugs from further harming Americans. It is critical that we combat this lethal drug crisis head on and support our law enforcement and prosecutors in going after those who wish us harm."

Rep. Spanberger said,"Tranq is killing Virginians in our communities and Americans across our country. But right now, our country is ill-equipped to counter the influx of xylazine and fentanyl in our communities. As a former federal agent and CIA case officer who worked narcotics cases and tracked cartels, I believe that Congress must provide our federal, state, and local law enforcement officers with every tool available to combat the deadly drugs flowing into our communities. As drug overdose deaths are increasingly involving xylazine, this bipartisan legislation would help law enforcement crack down on its proliferation in our communities and stop the predators who are killing our neighbors."

BACKGROUND

Tranq is a powerful sedative that is increasingly used as an additive to fentanyl. The effects of tranq are devastating, causing "necrotic" skin alterations and resulting in over 3,000 overdose deaths in 2021. Tranq has especially affected the American South, which saw a 200 percent increase in the drug's presence from 2020 to 2021-the largest increase in the country. Because xylazine is not an opioid, Narcan is not effective in reversing its effects-making fentanyl-mixed xylazine even more dangerous. The White House designated fentanyl-mixed xylazine as an "emerging threat" early last year and released a National Response Plan in an attempt to address this growing problem.

Last year, Congress passed the bipartisan Cruz-Welch Testing, Rapid Analysis, and Narcotic Quality (TRANQ) Research Act, and President Biden signed it into law on December 19, 2023.

Last year, Congress also passed significant portions of the bipartisan Kaine-Ernst Disrupt Fentanyl Trafficking Act to direct increased federal attention to fentanyl trafficking, by utilizing Pentagon tools like counter-drug intelligence and involving Mexico as an active partner to combat the crisis and disrupt cartel activity in Mexico. President Biden signed it into law on December 22, 2023.

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