Rob Portman wants to tackle copycats of fentanyl, permanently classifying them as some of the most dangerous drugs out there, a reform he thinks would crack down on drug trafficking and help prevent overdose deaths.

The Ohio senator, a Republican, is trying to give the Drug Enforcement Administration the authority to classify, in a lasting way, drugs that are almost chemically identical to fentanyl but much deadlier. For now, the agency can criminalize these drugs, called fentanyl analogs, for short durations of time until Congress renews a temporary order.