03.10.25

Republicans Are Taking Steps to Stop Fentanyl Traffickers and End the Opioid Crisis

In an Effort to Curb the Fentanyl Epidemic Killing Thousands of Americans Each Year, the Senate is Considering Legislation to Increase Sentences for Fentanyl Trafficker

“If we can’t come together to pass this battle-tested, bipartisan legislation, then we will have failed the American people, and made the environment for even more people to die of drug overdose and fentanyl poisoning. We owe it to the hundreds of thousands of families who have lost loved ones to this very poison.” – Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa)

“[The HALT Fentanyl Act] has backing from a number of state attorneys general and from law enforcement. Attorney General Bondi has endorsed the bill. And it has bipartisan support here in Congress – including bipartisan co-sponsorship and strong bipartisan votes in both the Senate Judiciary Committee and in the House of Representatives.” – Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-S.D.)

SENATE REPUBLICANS ARE PRIORITIZING THE HALT FENTANYL ACT

“The HALT Fentanyl Act incorporates the permanent scheduling of fentanyl-related substances, which I first introduced in 2017 in the Stopping Overdoses of Fentanyl Analogues Act (SOFA)… I am pleased that senators overwhelmingly voted to begin debate on this bill on the Senate floor, and I hope it passes with the same level of support.” – Sen. Ron Johnson (R-Wis.)

  • “President Donald Trump will soon have a second bill to sign into law as Democrats hand him the votes for a bipartisan victory on the opioid epidemic.” (The Washington Examiner: Democrats to hand Trump second legislative win with Senate fentanyl vote – 3/6/25)
  • “The bill would hand Trump another bipartisan legislative victory since returning to the White House in January. His first, the Laken Riley Act, requires federal authorities to detain illegal immigrants accused of theft-related crimes.” (The Washington Examiner: Democrats to hand Trump second legislative win with Senate fentanyl vote – 3/6/25)
  • President Trump also declared a national emergency on the southern border, where nearly 97% of all fentanyl is seized by U.S. authorities, on day one of his presidency. The administration’s work securing the border has led to an unprecedented decline in illegal border crossings. (White House: Fact Sheet: President Donald J. Trump Declares a National Emergency at the Southern Border – 1/22/25; CBS News: Amid Trump crackdown, illegal border crossings plunge to levels not seen in decades – 3/3/25; U.S. Customs and Border Protection: Drug Seizure Statistics – accessed 3/7/25)
  • “The swift passage in the House so early in the new year underscores that Republicans see responding to the opioid epidemic as… a top policy priority…” (Politico: More Dems join with Republicans to pass fentanyl crackdown bill – 2/6/25)

FENTANYL KILLS THOUSANDS OF AMERICANS ANNUALLY AND IS THE LEADING CAUSE OF DEATH FOR YOUNG AMERICANS

  • “In the last two fiscal years, CBP seized record amounts of fentanyl – nearly 50,000 pounds – enough to produce more than 2 billion lethal doses.” (U.S. Customs and Border Protection: CBP Releases January 2025 Monthly Update – 2/18/25)
  • In 2023, there were an estimated 107,543 drug overdose deaths in the U.S. – 74,702 of which were attributed to fentanyl. (CDC: National Center for Health Statistics: U.S. Overdose Deaths Decrease in 2023, First Time Since 2018 – 5/15/24)
  • According to the Drug Enforcement Agency, fentanyl is the leading cause of death for Americans age 18-45. (U.S. Drug Enforcement Agency: DEA Administrator on Record Fentanyl Overdose Deaths – accessed 3/6/25)
  • A national survey released last year found that nearly one-third of American adults “has lost someone they know to a fatal drug overdose,” and that, “[f]or nearly one-fifth of survey respondents—18.9 percent, representing an estimated 48.9 million adults—the person they knew who died of overdose was a family member or close friend.” (Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health: Nearly One-Third of U.S. Adults Know Someone Who’s Died of Drug Overdose – 5/31/24)

THE HALT FENTANYL ACT IMPOSES HARSHER SENTENCES ON TRAFFICKERS AND PERMANENTLY CLASSIFIES FENTANYL AS A SCHEDULE I DRUG

“For years, Congress has failed to make the Schedule I classification of fentanyl-related substances permanent. Our law enforcement cannot continue to have this uncertainty. We must pass the HALT Fentanyl Act as soon as possible to make this classification permanent.” – Sen. Bill Cassidy (R-La.)

  • The HALT Fentanyl Act “would lead to harsher sentences for fentanyl traffickers,” and “would permanently classify street versions of fentanyl, the killer synthetic opioid, as Schedule I substances, in recognition of the seriousness of the product’s addictive and deadly qualities.” (Politico: More Dems join with Republicans to pass fentanyl crackdown bill – 2/6/25)
  • The bill “would update federal law to list fentanyl knockoffs in the same category as heroin or LSD permanently,” which would allow “law enforcement to impose stiff penalties on their production and sale…” (The Washington Examiner: Democrats to hand Trump second legislative win with Senate fentanyl vote – 3/6/25)
  • “The bill marks the latest step taken by Congress to address the tens of thousands of deaths attributable to synthetic opioids such as fentanyl each year. Lawmakers have renewed the temporary classification multiple times since Trump implemented it in his first term.” (The Washington Examiner: Democrats to hand Trump second legislative win with Senate fentanyl vote – 3/6/25)
  • The bill has been endorsed by “over 40 advocacy groups, including 25 State Attorneys General, 11 major law enforcement organizations, nine major medical associations and Facing Fentanyl, a coalition of over 200 impacted family groups.” (Sen. Grassley: Support Grows for Swift Passage of HALT Fentanyl Act – 2/19/25)