The CCP Continues Exporting Drugs into America: Sen. Bill Hagerty at the CPAC Combating Narco-Terrorism Summit

China has emerged as a global leader in the manufacturing and exporting of fentanyl and other illicit substances, fueling a crisis that has devastated communities across the United States. U.S. Senator Bill Hagerty (R-TN) recently joined CPAC Chairman Matt Schlapp at the CPAC Combating Narco-Terrorism Summit to discuss how narco-terrorism poses a grave threat to America’s safety and national security, particularly through cartel networks supplied by Chinese-manufactured fentanyl, which has led to the deaths of thousands of Americans.

Sen. Hagerty, who served as U.S. Ambassador to Japan from 2017 to 2019 under President Trump, explained how China exploits Japan as a transfer point for trafficking drugs into the United States and around the world. According to Hagerty, Chinese operatives use Japanese shipping vessels to transport fentanyl precursors and other key components to cartels in South America, Mexico, and beyond. While Japan remains largely drug-free, it hosts one of the highest concentrations of DEA officers in the region due to the need to monitor and intercept Chinese narcotics shipments using Japanese carriers. “They are there to monitor shipments of fentanyl precursors and other drugs from China to a Japanese carrier to mask them and move them into the United States to kill us or send them along to Mexico, where they are manufactured,” Hagerty said.

China’s narco-terrorism only intensified under President Biden, as drug-related deaths have skyrocketed amid the fentanyl epidemic. Hagerty recalled that during the 2018 G20 Summit in Buenos Aires, President Trump directly confronted Chinese President Xi Jinping and demanded an end to the export of Chinese-produced narcotics into the United States, a demand Xi agreed to. However, Xi did not agree to halt the export of precursor chemicals used to manufacture fentanyl, allowing China to continue supplying cartels that produce the drug in Mexico and elsewhere. Hagerty argued that China then exploited Biden’s open-border policies to escalate their narcotics war against America. In his home state of Tennessee alone, Hagerty noted, “We lose 3,000 young people a year to drug overdose, most of it fentanyl.”

Last year, America saw the longest government shutdown in its history because of the Democrats' inability to work with Republicans to pass key legislation and appropriations, including for federal agencies involved in combating narco-terrorism. Hagerty said that America must act swiftly to counteract the fentanyl and drug crisis, but Senate Democrats are "weaponizing procedure," delaying administration confirmations and key legislation that are critical in combating narco-terrorism. "They say the Senate is supposed to be the world's greatest deliberative body, but we're doing a lot of deliberation. There is a weaponization of procedure way beyond what the founders intended," said Hagerty, noting that in 2025, "100% of Trump nominees had cloture invoked on them. Chuck Schumer held every single nominee, forcing us to wait because they are trying to destroy our ability to get anything done." Under the threat of a second government shutdown, Hagerty called on the Senate Democrats to stop delaying the allocation of critical resources and funding to federal agencies so that America's laws can be enforced before more American lives are claimed by the scourge of narco-terrorism.

Hagerty’s discussion with Schlapp highlighted the escalating threat of narco-terrorism and China’s role in fueling the fentanyl epidemic, devastating American communities. He outlined how Chinese-supplied precursor chemicals, cartel networks, and lax border enforcement have combined to drive overdose deaths to record levels under Biden. Hagerty also warned that Senate Democrats are obstructing critical confirmations and funding not only to delay enforcement efforts, but to deliberately undermine President Trump’s agenda to secure the border and protect American lives. As the fentanyl crisis continues to claim thousands of victims each year, Hagerty emphasized that political gridlock in Washington is directly hindering the ability to keep America safe.