President Biden's ambassador to the People's Republic of China told the press Thursday that the Communist Party is not pushing fentanyl into the U.S.

Ambassador Nicholas Burns dismissed the idea that the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) is "contributing" to the fentanyl crisis in the U.S., saying the drug is actually arriving on American shores from private Chinese firms.

"Can we work on the fentanyl problem? The government here in Beijing is not contributing to that problem," Burns told Politico on Thursday.

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He continued, "But black-market Chinese firms are, and they’re shipping illicit precursor chemicals to the drug cartels in Mexico and Central America that make the fentanyl that poisons and often kills Americans."

The fentanyl crisis kills nearly 200 Americans every day, according to the Department of Justice. Despite evidence that the People's Republic of China is the primary manufacturing location for illegal fentanyl, there is no venue for Americans to take on legal claims against distributors within China.

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"And so we would like the government here in Beijing to use its power to shut down the flow of precursor chemicals from these black-market Chinese firms to the drug cartels’ [fentanyl] production sites. That has been a difficult dialogue. But we’ve got to continue it," Burns told Politico.

The production of fentanyl often begins in China, with creation of the drug's precursor chemicals. 

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Then, those chemicals are shipped to Mexico where fentanyl is manufactured and subsequently distributed primarily by the Sinaloa and Jalisco cartels.

Nearly 14,000 pounds of illegal fentanyl were seized by authorities from March 2022 through 2023, according to Customs and Border Protection. A person can overdose on fentanyl after taking as little as 2 milligrams — that is the equivalent of a packet of Sweet-N-Low divided by 500. 

As a result of the fentanyl epidemic, overdose deaths in the United States are the leading cause of accidental deaths in the United States among adults 18 to 45 years old. 

Fox News' Lacey Christ contributed to this report. 

Republican Gov. Phil Scott on Thursday vetoed a bill aimed at reducing greenhouse gas emissions by encouraging Vermonters to move away from using fossil fuels to heat their homes.

Scott vowed last week that he would veto the Affordable Heat Act, saying that while he shares the bill's goal, he believes the legislation would give too much authority to the unelected Public Utilities Commission and could end up punishing Vermonters who are least able to afford to switch.

"Here’s the bottom line: The risk to Vermonters and our economy throughout the state is too great; the confusion around the language and the unknowns are too numerous; and we are making real and measurable progress reducing emissions with a more thoughtful, strategic approach that is already in motion," Scott wrote in his veto letter to lawmakers.

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He vetoed a similar bill last year, and an override failed by one vote in the House. Democratic lawmakers have a veto-proof majority in the House and Senate, but it’s unclear if all would vote to override this veto.

"The Affordable Heat Act is an essential step forward to plan for and fully understand what it will take, what it will cost and how Vermonters can benefit from more local, cleaner, and more affordable heat," said Sen. Rebecca White, a Democrat, in a statement. "It is the Climate Solutions Caucus leadership’s hope and expectation – as the two recent and decisive House and Senate votes have demonstrated – that the majority of policy makers will continue to support taking the next hard, important step forward toward a more equitable, affordable, cleaner heat future."

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The Affordable Heat Act grew out of legislation passed in 2020 that requires Vermont to reduce greenhouse gas pollution to 26% below 2005 levels by 2025. Emissions would need to be 40% below 1990 levels by 2030 and 80% below by 2050.

House Speaker Jill Krowinski has said Scott and others were spreading misinformation about the legislation, particularly that Vermonters would be unable to afford to heat their homes.