Trump Revives Controversial Working Group Strategy with China to Combat Fentanyl Crisis

Nov 04, 2025 04:41 pm CST

President Trump has halved tariffs on China in exchange for renewed cooperation on fentanyl trafficking through a bilateral working group—a strategy previously criticized by Republicans, including his own Vice President JD Vance. This represents a significant policy shift after Trump initially imposed 20% tariffs to pressure China into action on the synthetic opioid crisis. Experts question whether this approach will yield different results from previous similar arrangements under both Trump and Biden administrations.