Blackburn, Cassidy, Colleagues Applaud Senate Committee Passage of Bipartisan Legislation to Combat Fentanyl Crisis

Blackburn, Cassidy, Colleagues Applaud Senate Committee Passage of Bipartisan Legislation to Combat Fentanyl Crisis
February 28, 2025
NASHVILLE, Tenn. –
U.S. Senator
Marsha Blackburn
(R-Tenn.) joined Senator
Bill Cassidy
, M.D. (R-La.) and their colleagues in applauding the passage of their
Halt Lethal Trafficking (HALT) Fentanyl Act
by the Senate Judiciary Committee. The
HALT Fentanyl Act
would make permanent the temporary classification of fentanyl-related substances as a Schedule I drug of the Controlled Substances Act (CSA). The drug’s Schedule I classification is set to expire on March 31, 2025. This legislation builds on the momentum of the
Stopping Overdoses of Fentanyl Analogues (SOFA) Act
introduced by Senator
Ron Johnson
(R-Wisc.).
“Border Patrol officers have caught more fentanyl nationwide over the last two years than ever before in history, and Tennessee communities are paying the tragic price,”
said Senator Blackburn
. “The HALT Fentanyl Act would help law enforcement crack down on fentanyl trafficking, and I’m pleased it is one step closer to becoming law.”
“Chinese fentanyl was pouring into the U.S. under President Biden’s open border. Law enforcement needs every tool possible to combat this,”
said Dr. Cassidy
. “I am grateful for Chairman Grassley’s quick work to move this through the Judiciary Committee. Let’s make it law.”
BACKGROUND
Drug overdoses, largely driven by fentanyl, are the leading cause of death among young adults 18 to 45 years old. Synthetic opioids like fentanyl account for
66 percent
of U.S. overdose deaths.
According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), there were an estimated 107,543 drug overdose deaths in the U.S. in 2023. This was primarily fueled by synthetic opioids, including illegal fentanyl, which are largely manufactured in Mexico from raw materials supplied by China.
In 2022, there were over 50.6 million fentanyl-laced fake prescription pills
seized
by the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), more than double the amount seized in 2021.
In 2017, Senator Johnson introduced the
SOFA Act
following the Wisconsin legislature’s unanimous adoption of a bill that mirrors the
HALT Fentanyl Act
.
CO-SPONSORS
The
HALT Fentanyl Act
is also co-sponsored by Senators
Martin Heinrich
(D-N.M.),
Chuck Grassley
(R-Iowa),
Roger Marshall
(R-Kan.),
Todd Young
(R-Ind.),
Steve Daines
(R-Mont.),
Mike Rounds
(R-S.D.),
Shelley Moore Capito
(R-W.Va.),
Eric Schmitt
(R-Mo.),
John Kennedy
(R-La.),
Ruben Gallego
(D-Ariz.),
Maggie Hassan
(D-N.H.),
Catherine Cortez Masto
(D-Nev.),
Jeanne Shaheen
(D-N.H.),
Angus King
(I-Maine),
Mark Kelly
(D-Ariz.),
John Cornyn
(R-Texas),
Josh Hawley
(R-Mo.),
Thom Tillis
(R-N.C.),
Lindsey Graham
(R-S.C.),
Ted Cruz
(R-Texas),
Katie Britt
(R-Ala.),
Mike Lee
(R-Utah), and
Ashley Moody
(R-Fla.).
https://www.blackburn.senate.gov/2025/2/immigration/national security/blackburn-cassidy-colleagues-applaud-senate-committee-passage-of-bipartisan-legislation-to-combat-fentanyl-crisis