GOP Rep. Banks drops bill sanctioning Chinese government for fentanyl crisis

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FIRST ON FOX: Republican Rep. Jim Banks of Indiana dropped a bill on Friday sanctioning the Chinese government for the fentanyl crisis plaguing America.

Banks, who is running for Senate in Indiana, introduced the Stop CCP Fentanyl Act on Friday, aiming to slap Chinese President Xi Jinping and other high-level Chinese Communist Party (CCP) officials with U.S. sanctions.

"This is not just a public health crisis," Banks told Fox News Digital in an exclusive quote. "Fentanyl is the leading killer of adults fit for military service."

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Republican Rep. Jim Banks, who is running for Senate in Indiana, introduced the Stop CCP Fentanyl Act on Friday, aiming to slap Chinese President Xi Jinping and other high-level Chinese Communist Party (CCP) officials with U.S. sanctions. (Bill Clark/CQ Roll Call)

"This presents a major threat to our national security and combatting this crisis starts with holding Communist China accountable," the Indiana Republican continued.

The bill looks to sanction the Chinese government and its officials for the communist nation’s role in exacerbating the opioid epidemic poisoning America.

The bill would impose sanctions on Xi and other People’s Republic of China (PRC) officials on the Politburo Standing Committee and the PRC State Council 18 months after its enactment.

The bill would impose sanctions on Xi and other People’s Republic of China (PRC) officials on the Politburo Standing Committee and the PRC State Council 18 months after its enactment. (Saudi Press Agency/Handout via REUTERS)

Banks’ bill would also allow the immediate families of fentanyl overdose victims to sue the CCP officials through a private right of action.

The president would also be able to waive the bill’s sanctions provided that China’s government has "taken all reasonable measures to prevent the flow of fentanyl produced within the People’s Republic of China into the United States" as well as fentanyl precursors.

Additionally, the Departments of Homeland Security (DHS) and Justice (DOJ) must determine that the flow of fentanyl precursors has been cut by 98 percent in the past 18 months, relative to the prescribed 18-month period.

Border officers in Arizona seized more than 1.5 million fentanyl pills over the course of several days, authorities said Monday. (U.S. Customs and Border Protection)

Banks’ bill comes as communities across America are impacted by the opioid crisis.

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China is the largest manufacturer of the precursor chemicals of fentanyl and other synthetic opioids. Those chemicals are sent to Mexico where cartels synthesize them into opioids.

The crisis has only compounded due to the porous southern border allowing millions of pounds of fentanyl into the country.