A Republican-led bill targeting the fentanyl epidemic that was endorsed by the Biden administration passed in the House Thursday morning with bipartisan support, signaling a major step forward on its way to the president’s desk.
The Halt All Lethal Trafficking of Fentanyl Act, or HALT Fentanyl Act, would elevate fentanyl to the most serious classification of illegal drugs, according to its authors Reps. Morgan Griffith (R-VA) and Bob Latta (R-OH). It passed in a 289-133 vote, with 74 Democrats voting in support.
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One Republican voted against the measure, Rep. Thomas Massie (R-KY), along with 132 Democrats in opposition.
The HALT Fentanyl Act would permanently schedule fentanyl and all related substances as Schedule I of the Controlled Substances Act and expedite government research on the drug. Fentanyl and its variants have only temporarily been deemed Schedule I drugs through 2024.
Some Democrats unsuccessfully attempted to hold up the vote with the introduction of an amendment that would require the Health and Human Services secretary to confirm that the bill would, in fact, lead to a decline in overdoses.
House Energy and Commerce Committee Chairwoman Cathy McMorris Rodgers (R-WA) said the bill’s passage was the type of action that Americans have demanded.
“I think about my friend, Molly Cain, from Spokane. She lost her son Carson. And Deb and Ray Cullen from Pennsylvania, who lost their son Zach. Both Carson and Zach were killed instantly by substances laced with illicit fentanyl,” Rodgers said in a speech Wednesday. “Molly asked me how many more letters from grieving parents is it going to take for action. The fact is it shouldn’t take another letter, another day.”
A GOP Florida doctor and Texas lawmaker both called for its swift passage.
“Let’s call it what it is: a weapon of mass destruction our law enforcement fight every day, and it is imperative to protect them,” Rep. Neal Dunn (R-FL) said on Wednesday.
“How can you oppose this? Literally, how can you oppose this?” said Rep. August Pfluger (R-TX). “Every day we hear more and more stories of lives ended by fentanyl, and it is our responsibility to act.”
But not all lawmakers backed the bill.
Rep. Frank Pallone Jr. (D-NJ) cited deep concerns in a floor speech Wednesday and alleged the bill would have “harmful implications” on U.S. communities if passed.
“The American people deserve bipartisan solutions that address both public safety and public health,” Pallone said. “This bill fails on both fronts and simply continues the status quo, allowing opioid use disorder and the overdose crisis to continue to devastate American families across the nation.”
Pallone said Congress had voted multiple times since 2018 to classify fentanyl as a Schedule 1 narcotic on a temporary basis, but doing so had not ended the fentanyl epidemic.
Despite protests from some House Democrats who voiced concerns over declaring a new war on drugs, the White House Office of Management and Budget announced on Monday its support of the legislation.
“The Administration calls on Congress to pass all of these critical measures to improve public safety and save lives,” the OMB wrote in a statement.
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Schedule I is the highest classification of the Controlled Substance Act’s five levels. Ecstasy and marijuana are also Schedule 1 substances because they meet the criteria of not being used for medical purposes and have a high potential for abuse, though some states have legalized recreational marijuana and others have approved the use of medical marijuana.
Fentanyl is a man-made drug so strong that several grains of the powder can induce a coma or death. U.S. adults between the ages of 18 and 45 were more likely to die from consuming fentanyl than they were to die as the result of a car crash, COVID-19, heart attack, suicide, or terrorist attack in 2021, the U.S. government reported. Fentanyl overdoses were the driving force behind the record-high 100,000 overdose deaths last year.
