IA 118th CONGRESS 1st Session H. J. RES. 18 IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES January 12, 2023 Mr. Crenshaw (for himself and Mr. Waltz ) submitted the following joint resolution; which was referred to the Committee on Foreign Affairs JOINT RESOLUTION To authorize the use of United States Armed Forces against those responsible for trafficking fentanyl or a fentanyl-related substance into the United States or carrying out other related activities that cause regional destabilization in the Western Hemisphere.

Whereas armed cartels such as Sinaloa Cartel and the Jalisco New Generation Cartel are responsible for trafficking fentanyl and fentanyl-related substances into the United States; Whereas fentanyl and fentanyl-related substances kill approximately 80,000 Americans every year and is the leading cause of death for American men between the ages of 18 and 45; Whereas the Sinaloa Cartel and the Los Zetas Cartel, among others, consistently engage in violence against each other and other cartels, creating instability mere miles from the border of the United States; Whereas in 2015, the Sinaloa Cartel shot down a Mexican military helicopter with a high powered weapon; Whereas in 2019, when the Mexican National Guard arrested Ovidio Guzman, the son of Joaquin “el Chapo” Guzman, the Sinaloa Cartel attacked Mexican Government forces and forced them to release Ovidio Guzman; Whereas in 2022, a battle between cartels along the United States-Mexico border led to the closure of two ports of entry; Whereas in 2022, a grenade attack against the United States consulate in Nuevo Laredo, Mexico required employees to shelter in place; Whereas Mexican cartels regularly intimidate, assault, kidnap, torture, and kill Mexican law enforcement; and Whereas Mexican cartels have repeatedly fired at law enforcement and national guard posted along the United States-Mexico border: Now, therefore, be it