U.S. Senator Jim Risch (R-Idaho) announced that President Donald Trump has signed the Break Up Suspicious Transactions (BUST) Fentanyl Act into law as part of the Fiscal Year 2026 National Defense Authorization Act. The new legislation is aimed at reducing the import of fentanyl and its precursor chemicals from China to Mexico and subsequently across U.S. borders.
“Too many Idahoans have lost their lives to illicit fentanyl flowing into the U.S. from China and through our border with Mexico,” said Risch.“With my BUST Fentanyl Act signed into law, the U.S. can make the criminals in China think twice before importing these deadly drugs into our communities.”
The BUST Fentanyl Act gives authorities new tools to address opioid trafficking. It allows the United States to target Chinese government-owned or controlled entities that are used to finance foreign opioid trafficking operations. The legislation also expands which methamphetamine-related chemicals are tracked in the annual International Narcotics Control Strategy Report.
In addition, the act encourages actions such as identifying individuals and entities in China involved in shipping precursor chemicals and manufacturing equipment for counterfeit pills, targeting Chinese financial institutions linked to money laundering, and reporting on efforts to establish U.S. Drug Enforcement Agency offices in China.
The move comes amid ongoing concerns about rising overdose deaths attributed to synthetic opioids like fentanyl, which often originate abroad before entering U.S. communities.
