This week, senior officials from President Donald Trump’s administration disclosed their assessment of the most significant threat to national security facing the United States. They informed members of the Senate Intelligence Committee that fentanyl, along with the international drug trafficking organizations responsible for its distribution, poses a major risk to the nation.
During her opening remarks, Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard stated, “Cartels were largely responsible for the deaths of more than 54,000 U.S. citizens from synthetic opioids” in the year leading up to October 2024. The annual threat assessment for 2025, released by the U.S. Intelligence Community on Tuesday, provided a slightly lower estimate, attributing 52,000 deaths to cartel activities in the U.S.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, approximately 84,000 individuals in the U.S. succumbed to overdoses involving fentanyl, methamphetamines, and other illicit drugs during the same period. At the hearing, Sen. Tom Cotton (R-AR), who leads the Intelligence Committee, emphasized that the Trump administration has prioritized fentanyl above other national security threats posed by countries such as Iran, North Korea, and Russia.
“For the first time, the annual threat assessment identifies foreign illicit drug actors as the foremost threat to our nation,” Cotton remarked, specifically highlighting “Mexican-based cartels utilizing precursors [industrial chemicals] sourced from China.”
While the administration aimed to concentrate on the fentanyl crisis, a burgeoning controversy regarding the use of the civilian messaging application Signal by officials planning a bombing operation in Yemen diverted attention from their efforts. As the head of the Senate Intelligence Committee, Sen. Cotton questioned leading U.S. intelligence officials on Tuesday about whether China is taking adequate measures to curb the sale and distribution of industrial chemicals used in the production of street fentanyl, which claims tens of thousands of lives in the U.S. annually.
Fentanyl made its debut on the streets of the United States in 2012, swiftly overtaking heroin and prescription painkillers as the most perilous opioid distributed by criminal organizations. During the first term of President Trump, fatalities primarily attributed to fentanyl surged dramatically, with a more than 30 percent increase recorded in 2020 alone.
In more recent years, the impact of opioids has diminished. The latest statistics from the CDC indicate that the number of fatal overdoses fell by over 26% from their peak in 2023 to October of the previous year. A significant aspect of the Biden administration’s approach to addressing this crisis has involved measures aimed at safeguarding public health.
President Trump has asserted that his tariffs on Canada, China, and Mexico are motivated by concerns regarding fentanyl trafficking. In an executive order, he designated drug cartels as the first groups he classified as terrorist organizations. Additionally, he has advocated for the death penalty for drug dealers.
Representative Greg Steube from Florida is among the Republicans advocating for the initiation of military operations against drug cartels in Mexico and other regions.
