White House Drug Czar Sara Carter, whose qualifications Democrats heavily scrutinized, insists there is room for bipartisan work on drug legislation, especially the fentanyl crisis.
Carter, a former Fox News contributor and journalist who doesn’t have any medical background, said she is focused on tackling the fentanyl crisis that’s killing tens of thousands of Americans each year and that she doesn’t want drug policy to fall onto the long list of politically polarizing issues on Capitol Hill.
“Many of the families that come and talk to me, not every single one of them are Trump MAGA supporters. Some of these families are Democrats,” Carter told Bloomberg Government in an exclusive interview Monday. “To me, they’re all the same. They’re all moms and dads who’ve lost a child.”
Though Carter has been a critic of Democrats in conservative media circles, she said she is working on across-the-aisle outreach as well as for more state and local partnerships.
Carter specifically recalled two conversations she had with Sens. Sheldon Whitehouse (D-R.I.) and Peter Welch (D-Vt.) during her drawn out confirmation. Carter was confirmed 52-48 on a party-line vote, with the exception of Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.), who joined Democrats to oppose her nomination.
“Of course, they didn’t vote for me, but they were very kind,” Carter said. “I had great conversations with both of them, and I made a promise to them that I want to work for everyone.”
Carter, the first woman to lead the Office of National Drug Control Policy, has had a hectic travel schedule in her first three months combating emerging threats in the drug world, including the flow of new substances such as Xylazine and Nitazines.
The issue of addiction, in particular, is personal for her.
Carter watched her uncle struggle with drug addiction and once found him passed out on the floor of his apartment. He ultimately died from HIV/AIDS.
“He had a struggle in his life, and I was with him until the very end,” Carter said.
Targeting Drug Flow, Addiction
Carter is pushing several bipartisan bills to alter the scheduling of drugs to prevent the flow of drugs within and across US borders.
This week, the Senate Judiciary Committee will take up a bill to corral the spread of Xylazine — an emerging drug sometimes called “tranq” — that has been used as a cutting agent for fentanyl and other narcotics.
The Combating Illicit Xylazine Act is co-sponsored by Sens. Catherine Cortez Masto (D-Nev.) and Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa), as well as Reps. Jimmy Panetta (D-Calif.) and August Pfluger (R-Texas) in the House. The bill would classify Xylazine as a Schedule III drug and prompt the Drug Enforcement Administration to partner with states and localities to track its manufacturing and distribution.
Carter also touted actions by the White House to shape drug policy and implement new programs to help with substance use disorder and mental health challenges.
Carter cited President Donald Trump’s launch of the Great American Recovery Initiative in January that seeks to increase awareness about addiction and create a better federal response to prevention, treatment, and recovery support.
The administration has sought to overhaul how the federal government addresses substance use disorder, including restructures within Health and Human Services to merge longtime organizations such as the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration into the new “Administration for a Healthy America.”
The administration also faced pushback from mental health advocates for cutting roughly $11 billion for mental health and addiction treatment.
Carter defended the overhaul by Trump, arguing that money needs to be “utilized appropriately.”
“We want effective programs to combat addiction,” Carter said. “We want to know that our money is not being wasted, and we’re not just handing it out here and there and everywhere.”
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