Rural Press Call: Tester discusses fentanyl crisis in Treasure State

In a Rural Press Call last week, U.S. Senator Jon Tester discussed his efforts to declare fentanyl a National Emergency.

“One of our greatest threats at home is the influx of fentanyl and other dangerous drugs that are literally tearing Montana communities apart,” said Tester. “That’s why I am leading the bipartisan FEND Off Fentanyl Act to declare fentanyl a national emergency and to give the Department of Treasury and law enforcement more tools to go after the Chinese criminal organizations that provide the precursor elements to fentanyl and Mexican drug cartels responsible for trafficking this poison – and it literally is poison – into our country.”

In addition to the FEND Off Fentanyl Act, Tester said he recently joined bipartisan legislation to extend Title 42 provisions and give the Department of Homeland Security the necessary power to secure the southern border.

“And it’s also why I led the bipartisan Senate resolution establishing this week as National Police Week. Why? Because our brave law enforcement officers are on the frontlines of keeping Montana safe – and it’s our job to make sure they have the resources they need to be able to do their job,” said Tester. “While some of my colleagues across the aisle are calling to defund law enforcement agencies like the FBI, I’m continuing to introduce legislation like my Invest to Protect Act which will create a special grant program to help staff local law enforcement agencies with under 200 officers in communities across Montana.”

TikTok

During the call, Tester also addressed Montana Governor Greg Gianforte signing a bill to outlaw the use of TikTok in the state.

“I can tell you that TikTok deserves some attention. I know the Legislature banned them, and they have every right to do it,” said Tester. “I would approach it from a Department of Justice standpoint quite frankly and bring in the head of TikTok. He was in front of one of the committees in the house here about a month ago, and it was a train wreck. The guy couldn’t answer the questions. Look, if he’s doing treasonous things on TikTok, we need to hold him accountable through the courts. The truth is Montana has every right to do what they did, and there is plenty of reasons to do it.”