Democratic Pennsylvania Sen. Bob Casey recently introduced a bill that he claims would crack down on fentanyl trafficking, despite previously opposing legislation designed to stop the flow of the deadly drug.
In Jan. 2024, Casey introduced the Stop Fentanyl at the Border Act, which aims to make “appropriations to improve border security, imposing new reporting requirements relating to border security, and enhancing criminal penalties for destroying or evading border controls.”
Casey has said it would “help stop the flow of fentanyl into the U.S.” and “enable U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) to hire more Officers and Border Patrol Agents.”
“So much of the fentanyl devastating Pennsylvania families and communities is being smuggled across our southern border,” Casey said in a Jan. 16 press release. “This bill will help stop the flow of fentanyl into the U.S. and provide the hardworking law enforcement officers at the border with the resources, technology, and support they need to do their jobs and secure our border.”
“This bill is a part of a multipronged approach to end the fentanyl crisis by cracking down on the criminals producing and smuggling fentanyl, securing our border, and providing the Americans impacted by fentanyl with the help they need,” the press release continued. “The Stop Fentanyl at the Border Act would enable U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) to hire more Officers and Border Patrol Agents to increase capacity to stop illicit smuggling over the border.”
“The bill also provides funding to purchase Non-Intrusive Inspection systems, which scan vehicles and cargo at the border to provide detailed images of their interiors, which leads to the detection of fentanyl and other illicit drugs,” Casey added. “Additionally, the bill would create an inspection program to increase seizure of firearms, which Mexican cartels frequently purchase in the United States and smuggle into Mexico to support their fentanyl production operations and other violent criminal enterprises.”
However, prior to introducing this bill Casey, had a track record of opposing tough-on-fentanyl measures, voting against a total of $800 million in funds for opioid and narcotic detection.
In March 2021, Casey voted against an amendment that would have provided $300 million in COVID stimulus money for Customs and Border Protection opioid and narcotic detection activities. Then, in Aug. 2022, he voted against an amendment that would have provided $500 million for CBP for opioid and narcotic detection and cut $500 million intended for sustainability and environmental programs.
Former President Barack Obama (C) joins Senator Bob Casey (D- PA) (L) and Pennsylvania Governor Tom Wolf (R) at a campaign rally for Pennsylvania Democrats on September 21, 2018 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Mark Makela/Getty Images)
“Bob Casey is the very definition of a fraud,” a Republican operative involved in the PA Senate race told the Caller. “When election year comes around he pretends he’s a moderate who supports commonsense measures to stifle the flow of drugs coming across the border, but his entire record on immigration and just about everything else as a Senator proves that he has more in common with the leftwing Squad, than he does hardworking Pennsylvanians.”
Casey’s office responded to a Caller inquiry about his voting record on the issue, saying: “Senator Casey is committed to securing the border and stopping the flow of fentanyl from coming into Pennsylvania communities. He has voted over two dozen times to secure the border and is fighting to pass his Stop Fentanyl at the Border Act to give border protection officers the resources they need to detect and stop fentanyl at the southern border.”