Legislation to permanently classify fentanyl-related substances as Schedule I controlled substances passed the House with bipartisan support on Feb. 6.
Ninety-eight Democrats joined with all but one Republican to pass the HALT Fentanyl Act in a 312–108 vote.
Fentanyl-related substances were first temporarily classified as Schedule I narcotics—the same category as LSD, heroin, and ecstasy—in 2018 under the first Trump administration. Since then, lawmakers have extended the order several times but failed to make it permanent. It is due to expire on March 31.
The latest move to finalize the scheduling order comes amid the Trump administration’s crackdown on cross-border drug trafficking, which has facilitated the spread of illicit fentanyl throughout the country.
In 2023, the Drug Enforcement Administration seized more than 80 million counterfeit pills laced with fentanyl and nearly 12,000 pounds of fentanyl powder. That equates to more than 390 million lethal doses of fentanyl.
The impact of the fentanyl crisis on American families has been dire.
More than 107,000 people died from drug overdoses in the United States in 2023, with illicit fentanyl and other synthetic opioids accounting for nearly 70 percent of those deaths.
Among U.S. citizens aged 18–45, fentanyl overdose is now the leading cause of death.
House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) said at a Feb. 5 press conference that the new bill “empowers law enforcement to seize those deadly drugs and go after their producers and distributors and stop the flow.”
He added that the bill builds on the president’s efforts earlier in the week to stanch the flow of illicit drugs from Mexico, Canada, and China.
With the threat of tariffs, President Donald Trump secured commitments from Mexico and Canada on Feb. 3 to send additional resources and personnel to their borders with the United States to help curb illegal immigration and drug smuggling. In return, he delayed for 30 days the enforcement of 25 percent tariffs he ordered on imported goods from both countries.
A 10 percent tariff on goods from China—the primary source of precursor chemicals that make up the illicit fentanyl entering the United States—took effect on Feb. 4.
The HALT Fentanyl Act now heads to the Senate, where previous versions of the bill died under Democrat leadership.
With their new majority, Republicans are hoping that there will be a different outcome this time around. But they face a tougher battle in the Senate, where a 60-vote majority is needed to get bills over the finish line. Their current advantage is 53–47, but the legislation’s bipartisan support in the House could foreshadow a positive result in the Senate.
