Cory Booker Speaks Out Against New Amendment Imposing Harsher Mandatory Minimum Penalties

Senator Cory Booker speaks on the Senate floor to express his concerns about the harmful impact of a new amendment seeking to impose harsher mandatory minimum sentences on offenses related to the opioid fentanyl. Specifically, if passed, Senate Amendment 4083 would expand federal mandatory minimum penalties for fentanyl by lowering the drug quantity needed to trigger the punishment.

Senator Booker has been a vocal advocate for both addressing the opioid abuse and heroin use epidemic and advancing criminal justice reform, and he continues to push for a full Senate vote on the bipartisan Sentencing Reform and Corrections Act, a comprehensive bill that reduces certain mandatory minimum penalties for nonviolent offenders and gives judges more discretion in sentencing. The bill, if passed, would take meaningful steps forward in reducing mass incarceration, saving taxpayers’ money, and freeing up resources that can be used to better attack the root causes of crime and addiction.