The Senate confirmed journalist Sara Carter in a party-line vote Tuesday as the United States' new "drug czar," who will help with the administration's efforts to curb the fentanyl crisis in the country.

President Donald Trump nominated Carter, an investigative journalist who has covered the fentanyl crisis and border security, for the post last year. She will officially serve as the director of the Office of National Drug Control Policy.

Carter was confirmed in a 52-48 split. Kentucky GOP Sen. Rand Paul voted against the confirmation. 

The journalist has received multiple national awards for her coverage of national security issues, including the Society of Professional Journalists' Sigma Delta Chi award for her coverage of the brutality of the Gulf and Sinaloa Cartel wars along the U.S.-Mexico border.

“My work in the frontlines wasn’t just about telling stories, it was about mapping the enemy,” Carter told senators in September, according to Politico. “I have seen these predatory criminal empires operate with impunity in our hemisphere. That impunity ends now. This is not just a public health crisis, it’s a chemical war being waged against the American people.”

Carter will now play a critical role in overseeing federal policy and funding related to drug trafficking, substance use prevention, treatment and recovery. 

Misty Severi is a news reporter for Just The News. You can follow her on X for more coverage.