1. America's Fentanyl Problem. 2. Career and Technical Education Month. 3. Weekly Roundup. 4. My Contact Information. |
It was recently reported that more than 100,000 Americans died of drug overdoses within a 12-month period ending in April 2021, an absolutely devastating milestone for the country. Milwaukee County alone saw 560 overdose deaths in 2021, breaking their previous record high set in 2020. As these horrifying statistics fly under the radar with the media and many politicians in Washington, I am working to shed light on the problem.
A lethal dose of fentanyl for most people is just two milligrams – less than 1/16 of a teaspoon. Over this troubling 12-month period, fentanyl alone claimed the lives of more Americans than did all drugs back in 2016. Of the 560 overdose deaths in Milwaukee County last year, 443 were linked to fentanyl, which makes up a staggering 79 percent.
The massive spike in fentanyl deaths can, in part, be credited to the lax repercussions for fentanyl-related offenses in the United States that fail to reflect the potency of this harmful drug. For example, the amount of fentanyl that would result in a 10-year mandatory minimum sentence would contain 200,000 lethal doses, whereas the amount of heroin required to receive the same sentence would contain just 10,000. To fight back against this deadly drug, I introduced the Fentanyl Penalties Parity Act, which will correct this discrepancy between fentanyl and other opiates, like heroin, by reducing the quantity threshold for mandatory minimums for fentanyl-related offenses. |
During my time surveying the Southern border, U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) agents have told me that nearly all the fentanyl in the U.S. comes across the border. In other words, the border crisis has exacerbated the fentanyl crisis.
In fiscal year 2021, 11,201 pounds of fentanyl was seized by CBP – enough to kill every American seven times over. Because CBP and Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officials do not currently have sufficient resources, largely due to the policies of the Biden Administration, fentanyl is entering our country at record levels and devastating our families and communities.
Behind every overdose are mothers, fathers, sons, daughters, brothers, sister, grandparents, friends—all whose lives will be affected forever. Despite this, Washington has not acted. Fentanyl is tearing families apart in what has become the deadliest period of drug overdoses in American history, and the White House continues to refuse to address the border crisis, and in turn, the drug crisis.
Now that fentanyl is the leading cause of death for Americans ages 18 to 45, we must prioritize public health and safety, and it starts at the border. On the House floor, I spoke on this tragedy that is taking the lives of young people in Wisconsin and across the country, and urged the Biden Administration to act immediately on this vital issue. |
As I travel around Wisconsin, I speak with far too many employers who are in need of skilled workers but are unable to find them. There are good, high-paying jobs available to Wisconsinites, but we simply do not have enough people with the right skillsets to fill them. These are jobs like electricians, plumbers, crane operators, construction workers, steel workers, nurses, and other jobs in manufacturing and information technology (IT).
I believe that a large part of the reason we have a skilled labor shortage is because there is a false "stigma" attached to career and technical education. I often hear people say things like "at least he has a trade to fall back on". I rarely hear "she made the right choice in becoming a welder and now has a great job that will always be in-demand", which is most often the case. Students are too often led to believe from elementary school through high school graduation that the way to succeed in life is to go to acquire a traditional four-year college degree. That isn't the only option for students, and it is often not the best. I hear from Wisconsinites in their 20s, 30s, even 40s who tell me they received a liberal arts degree, couldn't get a job in their field of study, and have now gone back to school to learn a trade. Instead of being made aware that they could have done this right after high school, they piled up massive amounts of student loan debt and missed out on many years of high-paying work. I am glad that they have finally realized where they want to take their career, but that does not make up for the fact that as kids, they were not provided an adequate menu of options for what they could do after high school.
Wisconsin's Sixth District is home to the more manufacturing jobs than any other. As your Representative, I want to make sure young Wisconsinites are aware of the lucrative and stable careers in the skilled labor market that employers are eager to fill. A way to solve these problems and prepare students for the skilled jobs of the future is advertising the benefits of pursuing career and technical education. That is why I am proud to have cosponsored a bipartisan resolution to recognize February as Career and Technical Education Month. |
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This past weekend, I went to the Fond du Lac Brewfest to support local food and drink vendors and raise money for charity! |
This week, I was happy to meet with the National Association of Independent Colleges and Universities to discuss independent colleges in Wisconsin and how we can support them in Congress. |
Last weekend, I was in Cleveland at the Fish and Game Club brat fry. Thanks for a wonderful afternoon! |
Last weekend, I was happy to attend the first annual Port Washington Winterfest at Veterans Memorial Park in Port Washington! |
As your Congressman, I’m here to serve you. If you have any questions please don’t hesitate to reach out to my offices in Fond du Lac and Washington. If you enjoyed this newsletter, be sure to forward it to your family and friends so they can stay informed on what I’m doing in Washington and the 6th District, and let them know that they can subscribe by clicking here. |
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Sincerely,
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Glenn Grothman
Member of Congress
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P.S. You can also stay up-to-the-minute by following me on Facebook (Congressman Glenn Grothman), Twitter (@RepGrothman) and Instagram (@RepGlennGrothman). |
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