U.S. Rep. Michael Baumgartner, R-Wash., told Spokane County Spotlight that fentanyl is the leading public-safety concern he hears during town halls across Eastern Washington and called for both tougher supply controls and expanded prevention programs.

"It is just so dangerous, and it is so easy for someone to get, fentanyl laced in some area ... and life can be over like that," Baumgartner said, describing the drug as "just tragic." He told host and Spokane County Commissioner Josh Kearns that local sheriffs regard fentanyl as their number-one problem.

Baumgartner outlined the supply chain he described: "the chemicals are created in China, and then they largely come to Mexico where the drug gangs mix the chemicals together and then press them into these pills," then trafficked into the United States. He said he pressed Chinese officials on the issue during a recent trip to Beijing, and was the first House Republican to visit China since 2019 to raise these security concerns.

On policy, Baumgartner said enforcement at the border matters but argued that reducing demand is also essential: "we have to have more programs to warn kids of the dangers of drugs and to reduce the demand for the drugs." He pointed to public-awareness models such as the Montana Meth Project as examples of demand-reduction campaigns.

Baumgartner described the human cost with anecdotal references to local families affected by fentanyl. "A lot of folks in [the] community ... have been very public with their son's struggle with fentanyl," he said, urging public education and treatment options alongside supply-side measures.

The congressman did not cite specific new federal appropriations or programs during the interview; he emphasized continuing pressure on foreign governments to curb chemical exports and supporting legislation that would broaden scheduling to make it harder for illicit chemists to evade bans. The interview closed with Baumgartner reiterating constituent concern and urging community-level prevention alongside federal action.

The interview did not record a specific vote or new federal program adoption during the segment; Baumgartner said he has cosponsored legislation aimed at covering synthetic opioids and related chemical classes.