WHAT THEY ARE WATCHING IN THE STATES: President Biden Announces Bilateral Action with China to Tackle Opioid Crisis

Last week, President Biden announced a major agreement with China to resume bilateral cooperation to combat global illicit drug manufacturing and trafficking. White House Director of National Drug Control Policy Dr. Rahul Gupta took to the airwaves in over 20 local Sunday shows to let Americans know how the Biden-Harris Administration will use the actions to take on the opioid epidemic, a key priority of President Biden's Unity Agenda.

See below for a sampling of the coverage:

WFXR – Roanoke, Virginia

"[The agreement] also shows us that China has taken actions because they sent a notice to chemical industry already that tells them that they're going to be implementing the rules and regulations. Now, the last time they did this in 2019, the shipments of fentanyl really came to 0 to the United States."

WAPT – Jackson, Mississippi

"During the holidays, this is when Americans can use that help to make sure there are more chairs filled at dinner tables during holiday time. This is very important, critical, and urgent."

KOCO – Oklahoma City, Oklahoma

"One of the most important things we can do is to ensure that we have a secure border today. The fact is, President Biden has put a request in for supplemental funding to Congress that includes border security, drug detection machines, customs, border protection agents."

WPLG – Miami, Florida

"The evidence shows us that we've got to have better technology at the ports of entry, we got to focus at the ports of entry. This is exactly why President Biden has made it a top priority to have drug detection machines at the ports of entry."

WDSU – New Orleans, Louisiana

"Both sides of the coin; we're reducing the supply of illicit drugs in our communities but at the same time, expanding access to treatment, getting antidotes like naloxone or Narcan available to people."

WFMJ – Youngstown, Ohio

"This is something that's been hurting Americans, we lose over 110,000 people a year. What's happened is that a lot of these chemicals come from China that are being used to make drugs like fentanyl in Mexico. It's been really important from day one for President Biden to take a whole-of-government approach."

WCVB – Boston, Massachusetts

"We hope and we expect that that this renewed relationship and work that moves forward is going to allow the two countries to cooperate on an issue that is so critical for Americans, but also important for the rest of the world."

WISN Up Front– Milwaukee, Wisconsin

"These are important steps because at a time when we're losing an American every five minutes around the clock, it's important that we do everything we can. The President is certainly committed to doing it to save lives."

WMTW – Portland, Maine

"We need the Chinese government to take action – substantive action – on both its chemical industry, the illicit parts, as well as the equipment shipments that are harming so many Americans."

WMUR – Manchester, New Hampshire

"Time is of the essence, so this has got to be done and it's got to be done with a sense of urgency. States like New Hampshire, West Virginia and other states in Appalachia are suffering disproportionately."

KOAT – Albuquerque, New Mexico

"The President has been always, you know, very vocal about making sure that every American all across the country gets the resources that they need to not just survive, but thrive. That is the reason that one of the things President asked for in his supplemental request to include dollars for tribal lands to make sure that the tribal communities get that help."

KXAN – Austin, Texas

"It's really important at a time when we have so many millions of Americans suffering from substance use disorder, President Biden has taken an approach where we look at the addressing the trafficking and supply side as well as helping people and communities as two sides of the same coin."