North Miami-Dade News

The House Foreign Affairs Committee has approved the DISPOSE Act (H.R. 9172), introduced by Representative María Elvira Salazar (R-FL) and Representative Joaquín Castro (D-TX), in a unanimous and bipartisan vote.

"The fentanyl crisis has become a scourge of the Western Hemisphere," said Representative Salazar. "By passing the DISPOSE Act, the Foreign Affairs Committee commits to working with our partners to destroy fentanyl chemicals long before they reach Miami and the rest of the country."

In 2023 alone, Customs and Border Protection seized over 23,000 pounds of fentanyl at the southern border, representing a significant source of income for Latin American cartels. Most of this fentanyl is produced using Chinese chemicals sent to the Americas, converted into drugs in clandestine labs, and trafficked into the U.S. by Mexican cartels through drug mules.

The DISPOSE Act aims to keep Americans safe by cutting off its supply and targeting precursor chemicals used by foreign criminal cartels to produce fentanyl, ensuring they can be destroyed long before reaching the United States. This will also cut crucial revenue streams for these cartels.

The act establishes the Precursor Chemical Destruction Initiative to combat drug trafficking with Western Hemisphere partners. By working directly with partner countries, the initiative will:

- Increase seizure and destruction rates of listed chemicals in beneficiary countries;

- Alleviate stockpiles of seized chemicals and eliminate them safely and environmentally;

- Ensure seized chemicals are not reintroduced into illicit drug production networks within beneficiary countries;

- Free up storage space for future chemical seizures in beneficiary countries; and

- Reduce negative environmental impacts from these substances.

"In San Antonio and communities worldwide, families have suffered unimaginable tragedies due to fentanyl trafficking," said Representative Castro. "The DISPOSE Act is an important step to support our Western Hemisphere neighbors in their efforts to curb fentanyl trafficking within their nations. This bill will save lives both domestically and abroad, and I am honored to work with Congresswoman Salazar and a bipartisan coalition in both chambers as we bring this much-needed progress closer to the President's desk."

Representative Greg Stanton (D-AZ), one of the original sponsors of the bill, played a key role in advancing it through the committee. Congresswoman María Elvira Salazar is now working towards getting it passed by the full House of Representatives. The Senate version is led by Senators Grassley (R-IA), Shaheen (D-NH), and Risch (R-ID).

For more information on the legislation, click here.

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