PROTECTING AMERICA FROM A CHEMICAL MENACE: In a bold move, President Donald J. Trump has issued an Executive Order that classifies illicit fentanyl and its primary precursor chemicals as weapons of mass destruction (WMD).
- This directive mandates the Attorney General to swiftly initiate criminal prosecutions, impose harsher penalties, and seek modified sentencing in cases involving fentanyl trafficking.
- The Order instructs the Secretary of State and the Secretary of the Treasury to take necessary actions against assets and financial institutions linked to the manufacturing, distribution, and sale of illicit fentanyl and its precursor chemicals.
- The Secretary of War and the Attorney General are tasked with assessing whether the Department of War should allocate enhanced national security resources to the Department of Justice in response to emergencies involving WMDs.
- In collaboration with the Secretary of Homeland Security, the Secretary of War is also to revise chemical incident response protocols to account for the fentanyl threat.
- The Secretary of Homeland Security is charged with identifying fentanyl smuggling networks by utilizing intelligence related to WMD and nonproliferation threats.
COMBATING FENTANYL TO PROTECT OUR COMMUNITIES: President Trump is mobilizing all available resources to confront the cartels and foreign networks that have made fentanyl the leading cause of death among Americans aged 18 to 45.
- Illicit fentanyl operates more like a chemical weapon than a conventional narcotic, with the potential to claim hundreds of thousands of American lives.
- Remarkably, just two milligrams of fentanyl—roughly the weight of 10-15 grains of table salt—can be lethal.
- Profits from fentanyl trafficking are funneled by cartels and foreign terrorist organizations into funding assassinations, terrorism, and insurgencies, while also sparking violent conflicts over trafficking routes.
- The risk of adversarial groups weaponizing fentanyl for large-scale terror attacks poses a significant threat to national security.
- By categorizing illicit fentanyl as a WMD, President Trump is ensuring that the full might of the Federal government is aligned, coordinated, and mobilized to tackle fentanyl as the lethal chemical threat it represents.
ENSURING A SAFER AMERICA: President Trump is committed to dismantling the cartels, eradicating illicit fentanyl from American streets, and safeguarding families from this chemical scourge.
- Upon re-assuming office, President Trump declared a National Emergency at the southern border, which enabled the U.S. to gain control over border operations, combat the cartels, and enhance national security.
- He has classified eight cartels as Foreign Terrorist Organizations (FTOs) and Specially Designated Global Terrorists (SDGTs), including Tren de Aragua and MS-13, in an effort to combat their violence and drug trafficking operations.
- To address the failure of Mexico, Canada, and China in curbing the influx of harmful fentanyl and other drugs, President Trump has implemented tariffs.
- Military action has been authorized by President Trump to intercept lethal drugs, obliterate narco-vessels, and disrupt the operations of narcoterrorists poisoning American communities.
- By signing the HALT Fentanyl Act into law, which permanently classifies fentanyl-related substances as Schedule I drugs under the Controlled Substances Act, President Trump is escalating the fight against the cartels by labeling illicit fentanyl as a WMD.
