Today (8/24/26), Representatives Jake Auchincloss (D-MA) and Dan Newhouse (R-WA), alongside House Select Committee on the Strategic Competition Between the United States and the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) Chairman John Moolenaar (R-MI) and Ranking Member Ro Khanna (D-CA) reintroduced the CCP Fentanyl Sanctions Act to hold the Chinese Community Party responsible for its role in the U.S. fentanyl crisis.
After its establishment in 2024, the House Select Committee on China’s Fentanyl Policy Working Group uncovered for the first time how the CCP directly subsidizes fentanyl precursors and analogues entering North America.
The CCP Fentanyl Sanctions Act strengthens sanctions on China-based and CCP-backed entities engaged in drug trafficking, by targeting the Chinese chemical manufacturers and online vendors that are profiting by poisoning the American people.
As Co-Chairman of the Policy Working Group last Congress, Auchincloss and his colleagues focused on combating the CCP’s role in the fentanyl epidemic with legislation to curtail the threat via sanctions, trade and customs enforcement, and regulatory and enforcement measures.
The CCP Fentanyl Sanctions Act will address fentanyl exports from China by:
- Targeting the “Achilles’ heel” of fentanyl and related synthetic narcotics producers—their exposure to the U.S. banking system courtesy of their licit activity,
- Codifying important new authorities to address this threat while working to target those responsible for the epidemic,
- Codifying and building on Executive Order 14059, which established critical new sanctions authorities against actors involved in fentanyl trafficking,
- Expanding existing sanctions authorities to target PRC vessels or ports that knowingly or recklessly facilitate shipment/transportation of illicit synthetic narcotics, as well as PRC online marketplaces and other entities that knowingly or recklessly facilitate sale of illicit synthetic narcotics, and
- Providing authority to restrict foreign financial institution correspondent accounts and payable-through accounts if the President determines the account has knowingly facilitated transactions on behalf of individuals engaging in synthetic narcotics trafficking.
“Thousands of families in Massachusetts have been scarred by fentanyl,” said Rep. Auchincloss. “Chinese chemical manufacturers that are exporting this addictive poison to American shores should bear the full force of U.S. sanctions and anti-money-laundering measures.”
“The Chinese Communist Party must be held accountable for helping manufacture the fentanyl crisis,” said Rep. Newhouse. “For too long, they have subsidized and exported illicit narcotics, and Congress must take aggressive action to counter this epidemic that’s ruining American lives and families. This bipartisan legislation is a strong step in the right direction, as it targets CCP-backed entities, like Chinese chemical companies, who continue wreaking havoc on our communities.”
“The Chinese Communist Party has long had a role in facilitating the fentanyl crisis that has killed hundreds of thousands of Americans. The Select Committee’s groundbreaking report in 2024 showed how the CCP subsidized the production of fentanyl precursors sold to the Mexican cartels. The bipartisan legislation we are introducing today targets the entities and individuals who participated in this deadly and illicit practice. It is a crucial step toward holding them accountable for the pain they have caused American families," said Chairman Moolenaar.
“Fentanyl has devastated communities across America,” said Ranking Member Khanna. “I’m proud to join Rep. Auchincloss’ bipartisan effort to hold the networks responsible accountable. We must stop the flow of fentanyl and illicit precursors into our country and protect American families.”
The full text of the legislation can be found - https://auchincloss.house.gov/imo/media/doc/ccp_fentanyl_sanctions_act_bill_text.pdf
