00:00 Now, we're here today to talk about fentanyl
00:03 and how we can do more to save American lives.
00:06 Fentanyl is likely the number one --
00:08 the number one killer of Americans aged 18 to 45.
00:13 And it's an issue that's hurting families
00:16 in every state across the nation.
00:18 Recurring this crisis is something
00:21 that every American will get behind,
00:23 Democrat and Republican.
00:26 That's why tackling this opioid epidemic
00:29 is part of my unity agenda.
00:31 We're working intensely with --
00:33 to address this threat from every angle that we can pursue.
00:37 Our administration is taking historic steps
00:39 to expand access to life-saving public health services
00:42 and break down longstanding barriers for treatment
00:46 for substance abuse disorders.
00:48 We focused on prevention, harm reduction,
00:52 treatment, and recovery. That's been our focus.
00:55 But this challenge also has roots outside our borders.
00:59 Outside the borders of the United States.
01:01 It's a global challenge that demands global action.
01:04 So we're pursuing strong international coordination
01:08 to strangle the flow of these deadly drugs,
01:10 as we have -- as we are doing with precursor
01:14 chemical ingredients and pill presses
01:17 used to produce these drugs.
01:18 Last week in San Francisco, we made important progress
01:21 with both China and Mexico
01:24 to strengthen our efforts to address this scourge.
01:27 During my meeting with President Xi,
01:29 we took a critical step of resuming
01:32 counter-narcotics cooperation between our two countries.
01:35 It was one of the important things we agreed upon.
01:37 In 2019, China essentially stopped direct shipments
01:42 of fentanyl from China to the United States.
01:45 In the years since, the drug trade has evolved.
01:48 It's moved from finished fentanyl to fentanyl components,
01:53 like chemicals and pill presses,
01:55 that are shipped with few controls from China
01:58 to Western -- to the Western Hemisphere.
02:01 Chemical cartels use these components
02:04 to manufacture these illegal substances
02:07 and smuggle them into the United States.
02:09 So the United States is going to seek to work together with China
02:13 to target the fentanyl components.
02:15 As a result of our recent diplomacy,
02:17 China has already taken steps to shut down companies
02:20 dealing in illicit trade of precursor chemicals.
02:25 We're now -- and we're not just going to trust
02:29 that this is happening; we have to verify it.
02:31 And that's going to save lives, we believe.
02:34 While in San Francisco, I also met with the President of Mexico.
02:38 Together, we committed to expanding
02:40 law enforcement cooperation and intelligence sharing
02:43 to better disrupt the flow of fentanyl
02:45 and dismantle the violent chemical groups
02:47 that traffic synthetic drugs in our communities.
02:51 We've made record seizures of fentanyl at the border this year,
02:55 intercepting these dangerous drugs
02:56 before they can get into the United States
02:58 to do the damage that they do.
03:00 We're working trilaterally with Mexico and Canada
03:04 to quickly share information on drug trafficking,
03:07 trends, and threats. And in July,
03:09 we launched the Global Coalition to Address Synthetic Drug Threats,
03:12 bringing together more than 100 --
03:15 more than 100 nations and international organizations
03:18 to tackle this challenge from every possible angle --
03:21 preventing illicit drug manufacturing,
03:24 detecting emerging drug threats,
03:26 disrupting illicit financial activities,
03:30 and to enable this deadly trade to continue,
03:33 and expanding access to evidence-based health services.
03:36 We have so much more to do, though.
03:39 We're not kidding ourselves.
03:40 I called this meeting to make sure
03:42 we're doing everything we can
03:44 to keep building on the momentum of last week.
03:47 How can we accelerate our efforts
03:48 and make sure that we're delivering real results
03:51 for the people that are being hurt so badly?
03:53 Congress also has to step up in this fight.
03:56 Start by passing my supplemental budget request
03:59 for national security priorities, including --
04:02 including significant resources
04:04 to help stop the flow of fentanyl into our country,
04:07 as well as funds to strengthen support services
04:09 for people struggling with fentanyl impacts.
04:12 Look, I also urge Congress to permanently make fentanyl
04:16 and related substances Schedule 1 drugs,
04:19 and to take that action to help limit
04:22 the distribution of pill presses
04:25 and close the loopholes that exist now
04:27 for small shipments of fentanyl.
04:29 And there are many of those loopholes.
04:31 As families all across the country gather this week
04:34 with their loved ones for Thanksgiving,
04:36 too many are going to face looking at an empty chair
04:39 for the first time at Thanksgiving
04:40 because so many people have died.
04:43 It's heartbreaking. It's -- it really is an American tragedy.
04:47 Just in the neighborhood I'm in, next-door neighbor --
04:50 and just tough stuff. People are dying.
04:53 And I'm committed to doing everything in my power
04:57 as President to get this crisis under control.
04:59 So we're gathered today here to get to work together
05:04 to make sure we're coordinating all our efforts
05:06 from each of the agencies to make progress
05:09 on the progress we made with both Amal
05:13 as well as Xi. So, thank you very much.
05:16 (crowd chatter)
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