Photos By: Samantha Cotler
Story By: Emily Cotler
New York Senator and Majority Leader Chuck Schumer called on Congress to act against the fentanyl crisis that has been sweeping the nation at his press conference on Sunday morning. Schumer, holding up a diagram of a lethal dose of fentanyl, urged the House to pass legislation that would stopper the flow of fentanyl from outside of the United States into areas like New York City and Long Island. Recently spearheading a push to declare fentanyl trafficking as a “National Emergency”, Schumer declared that the House and Speaker Kevin McCarthy “must act” when they return to Washington DC, and include his proposition in the final bill- as well as taking the necessary steps to hold those responsible for the crisis to account.
According to Schumer’s office, 107,000 Americans in 2021 died as a result of drug overdoses. It is further estimated that 65 percent of those overdoses could be attributed to fentanyl. Schumer stated that, “in 2022 alone, over 3,000 New York City residents died from a fentanyl-involved overdose.” Schumer called his addition to the defense bill, “not political”, but “commonsense.”
A bust at a house by law enforcement in Long Island earlier this year has already halted the distribution of three kilograms of fentanyl; and according to Schumer, if action is not taken soon, more will be to come- taking the lives of countless more Americans.
