While President Trump works to secure America's borders and end the fentanyl epidemic that killed over 100,000 Americans under Biden's watch, a key Republican lawmaker is sounding the alarm that Congress needs to update critical emergency powers to give Trump the tools he needs to crush the cartels.
Rep. Marlin Stutzman (R-IN) didn't mince words during a Friday interview on Bloomberg's "Balance of Power," declaring that "the fentanyl manufacturing that is on the Mexican side of our border is still a very big problem" and demanding immediate updates to the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA).
The Indiana Republican's urgent call comes as the Trump-Vance administration launches its promised mass deportation operations and border security crackdown. But Stutzman is highlighting a critical gap: outdated laws that tie the President's hands when it comes to economically crushing the Mexican cartels poisoning our communities.
"We need to make changes to the IEEPA statute," Stutzman emphasized, recognizing that President Trump needs every available weapon in his arsenal to take down the criminal organizations that turned our southern border into a highway of death under the Biden regime.
This isn't just about tweaking bureaucratic language—it's about life and death for American families. The fentanyl crisis exploded under Biden's open border policies, with deadly drugs manufactured in Mexican labs using Chinese precursor chemicals flooding into American communities and destroying lives from coast to coast.
Patriots remember how Trump's first term saw real progress on border security before Biden dismantled every successful policy. Now, with Republicans controlling Congress and a mandate from the American people, there's no excuse for leaving any stone unturned in the fight against the cartels.
Stutzman's call for IEEPA updates shows serious Republicans understand this isn't just about physical barriers—it's about using America's economic might to crush the criminal enterprises that profit from American suffering.
The question now is whether Congress will move swiftly to give President Trump the enhanced emergency powers he needs, or if bureaucratic delays will continue costing American lives while the cartels count their blood money.