News · Press Release

ICYMI: Congressman Josh Riley Tackles Upstate Fentanyl Crisis at Community Hearing

Riley: “We need to take care of our people, and we have to fight like hell.”
As families across Upstate New York grapple with the impacts of the fentanyl crisis, Congressman Josh Riley is taking decisive action to keep his community safe.

Last week, Riley held a community roundtable to hear from local families, law enforcement, and scientists affected by the fentanyl epidemic to discuss working solutions to stop the flow of this deadly drug into Upstate communities.

Riley is currently working with scientists to develop state-of-the-art technologies to detect fentanyl before it can impact New York families.

Riley has also introduced the Stop Fentanyl Smuggling Act, cosponsored the CATCH Fentanyl Act and supported the HALT Fentanyl Act — life-saving legislation that uses new technology to protect local communities and strengthen border security.

Read more about the Congressman’s efforts:

WBNG: Congressman Josh Riley tackles upstate fentanyl crisis at community hearing
  • Congressman Josh Riley brought together law enforcement, scientists and families affected by the fentanyl epidemic Thursday to tackle one of upstate New York’s most pressing crises.
  • Riley hosted a community conversation at Binghamton University, uniting an unlikely coalition with one goal: stopping the flow of fentanyl into communities.
  • “We heard some stories today from folks so we have to figure out a way to solve this problem and fight the fentanyl trafficking,” Riley said.
  • Riley is working with scientists to develop state-of-the-art detection technologies that can identify fentanyl before it enters communities.
  • “They’re here doing this because they care so much about this community, they love this community as much as I do. So we’re all in this together to try to figure it out, and that gives me some hope,” Riley said.
  • “It’s not the fault of folks in our community who are dealing with the consequences of this, so we need to take care of our people, and we have to fight like hell against the drug traffickers, and that’s what this really is all about,” Riley said.
  • Riley’s office is pushing federal legislation to address the crisis: the Stop Fentanyl Smuggling Act, the Halt Fentanyl Act — which was signed into law last July — and the Catch Fentanyl Act, which funds advanced technology like AI to improve cargo inspections at border ports.

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