Representative Mike Garcia (CA-27) delivered a speech on the floor of the U.S. House of Representatives in support of H.R. 467, the HALT Fentanyl Act, which permanently classifies fentanyl analogues as Schedule I drugs and provides law enforcement with the proper tools to get fentanyl traffickers off the streets. California’s 27th District has the most impacted communities in LA County.
 
There were nearly 100 reported deaths caused by fentanyl poisonings across CA-27 last year, and there have already been nearly 50 deaths so far this year. 
 
“Right now, we are failing as a nation. We are failing to recognize the severity of this crisis, we are failing to hold China accountable for their role, and we are failing to protect the people who most need it: our children,” said Garcia. “We’ve lost young Americans with bright futures like Daniel Puerta from my district, who was a year away from graduating when he was poisoned by a counterfeit pill sold over Snapchat. For Daniel’s memory and the memory of countless others, we must act.”
 
Watch Garcia’s full speech below: