Statement from Gov. Tom Ridge on Advance Security Data and the U.S. Postal Service
Governor Tom Ridge, the first secretary for the U.S. Department of Homeland Security and senior advisor to Americans for Securing All Packages (ASAP) issued the following statement ahead of today’s House Oversight and Government Reform hearing on “Examining the Shipment of Illicit Drugs In International Mail.”
“At today’s hearing, we’ll hear witnesses discuss steps the U.S. Postal Service is taking to stop the influx of opioids into the U.S. – but whatever they’re doing clearly is not working. Fentanyl and other synthetic drugs are coming through the mail from China in historic numbers. Massive drug busts and a rash of overdose deaths drive local headlines day after day. When so many people are dying, why doesn’t the USPS require the same security information on packages from foreign posts as private couriers are required to provide by law? It’s time we pass the STOP Act to hold foreign posts and the USPS to the same standard as everyone else.”
