The Republican-led House passed legislation Thursday with significant Democratic support that would lead to harsher sentences for fentanyl traffickers, giving it a good chance of becoming law.
The so-called HALT Fentanyl Act got more Democrats on board this year, with 98 voting in favor, compared with the 74 Democrats who backed a similar version when it passed the House in the last Congress. The bill didn’t receive a Senate vote at that time amid Democratic concerns it leaned too heavily on law enforcement and would result in more mass incarcerations — a worry for some Democrats this time too.
But now, with Republicans controlling the Senate and enough Democratic co-sponsors in that chamber to clear the filibuster threshold, the bill has a strong chance of being enacted. It sailed through the House with a 312-108 vote, Politico reports.
The swift passage in the House so early in the year underscores that Republicans see responding to the opioid epidemic as both a top policy priority and a political messaging winner, framing the issue in the context of calls to bolster border security and arguing Democrats haven't done enough to stop it.
The growing bipartisan support for the legislation signals a growing willingness among Democrats to lean into law enforcement after a bruising election loss that left them out of power in the capital.
The measure 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. It would bolster efforts to research fentanyl analogs.
Fentanyl-related substances are now considered a Schedule I substance on a temporary basis until March 31, putting pressure on lawmakers to act quickly to make that designation permanent. Fentanyl itself, which has medicinal uses, is a Schedule II drug.
When Trump threatened to impose steep tariffs on Mexico, Canada and China, he blamed those countries for enabling the flow of fentanyl into the U.S. and fueling what officials have called a national emergency.
President Claudia Sheinbaum of Mexico pushed back on Trump’s suggestions that her government colluded with drug traffickers, calling it “slander.” She blamed the U.S., arguing that the fentanyl crisis stemmed from immense domestic demand for drugs, including fentanyl, and the illegal sale of U.S. guns to cartels.
Sheinbaum said she had reached an agreement with Trump, who agreed to pause the tariffs as she promised to send 10,000 members of the National Guard to the U.S.-Mexico border to stop the trafficking of fentanyl.
Thwarting the transport of the deadly synthetic opioid into the U.S poses significant challenges for both countries, given the cartels’ immense resources, the ease with which fentanyl is produced and moved and the insatiable demand for narcotics among U.S. consumers, the New York Times reports.
It may be extremely difficult for Mexico to demonstrate that it is meeting Trump’s terms — particularly within the 30-day window he allotted to delay the imposition of tariffs.