U.S. border czar Tom Homan said Wednesday (22 October) that illicit fentanyl should at least be discussed as a weapon of mass destruction (WMD).
Speaking at Axios’ Future of Defense Summit, Homan highlighted the drug’s deadly toll, citing around 73,000 U.S. deaths annually, a figure he said was even higher during the Biden administration.
Homan recalled attending a Department of Homeland Security (DHS) briefing six months ago on classifying fentanyl as a WMD.
“When I left that briefing, it was my understanding they would push that recommendation up to the Secretary, but I’ve been out of it ever since.”
He also criticised drug manufacturers.
“They’re really trying to make money on their customers, and we’re not going to do that by killing them, right?”
The Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) seized more than 380 million lethal doses of fentanyl in 2024, with 2025 seizures totalling more than 262 million doses as of late September. Preliminary CDC data shows overdose deaths in 2024 fell 26.9% from 2023, the lowest annual level since 2019.
The DHS has considered labelling fentanyl a WMD since 2019, but legislative efforts have failed. This year, Rep. Lauren Boebert introduced the Fentanyl is a Weapon of Mass Destruction Act, directing DHS’ Countering Weapons of Mass Destruction Office to officially classify the drug as a WMD.
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The Iran-U.S.-Israel conflict is escalating further with missile and drone attacks, expanded strikes on key infrastructure, and growing regional fallout. At the same time, diplomatic efforts to de-escalate began to emerge amid rising global energy and security concerns.
Kazakhstan remains among the least dependent countries in Central Asia on Chinese capital, maintaining a diversified external debt structure and greater financial flexibility than its regional peers.
Japan and Indonesia will deepen coordination on energy security, Tokyo said, as the U.S.-Israeli war on Iran disrupts vital oil and gas flows to Asia.
China's three largest state-owned airlines have issued warnings regarding their financial outlook for the current year, acknowledging that the eruption of war involving Iran has driven jet fuel prices to unsustainable highs.
U.S. President Donald Trump has said that the U.S is in talks with the new Iranian regime. He said this in a post on his Truth Social account but warned that the U.S. will "Obliterate" Iran's electric and oil facilities if no deal is reached, especially regarding the Strait of Hormuz closure.
NASA is aiming to launch its Artemis 2 mission on Wednesday (1 April), sending astronauts on a 10-day journey around the Moon, officials confirmed. According to the Space Administration, the launch window is due to open at 23:24 GMT, with additional opportunities to 6 April if delays occur.
The Iran-U.S.-Israel conflict is escalating further with missile and drone attacks, expanded strikes on key infrastructure, and growing regional fallout. At the same time, diplomatic efforts to de-escalate began to emerge amid rising global energy and security concerns.
A senior Iranian military officer warned that American troops will become ‘food for sharks’ on Sunday if the U.S. launches a ground offensive in Iran. The threat came as contingents of U.S. Marines began to arrive in the Middle East, with thousands expected to be deployed in the region.
The Israeli military said on Monday that Iran launched multiple waves of missiles at Israel, and an attack had also been launched from Yemen for the second time since the U.S.-Israeli war began on Tehran. It said two drones from Yemen were intercepted early 30 March but gave no further details.
Austria’s government on Friday approved plans to introduce a nationwide ban on social media use for children under the age of 14, alongside reforms to upper secondary school curricula aimed at boosting media literacy and Artificial Intelligence (AI) education from the 2027/28 academic year.
The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) said that as of Wednesday evening, it has identified six new cases of meningococcal disease in Kent, bringing the total of confirmed or suspected cases to at least 27.
The Scottish Parliament has voted against legalising assisted dying, ending a years-long campaign to make Scotland the first part of the UK to allow the practice.
The war in the Middle East is beginning to disrupt the flow of critical medicines to Gulf countries, raising concerns about the supply of cancer treatments and other temperature-sensitive drugs, according to pharmaceutical industry executives.
The World Health Organization (WHO) has released $2m in emergency funding to support health responses in Lebanon, Iraq and Syria as escalating regional conflict strains hospitals, raises displacement and increases pressure on already fragile health systems.
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