Lawmakers rallied around the HALT Fentanyl Act on Thursday, successfully passing legislation in the House to classify the opioid as a Schedule I controlled substance in an effort to solidify harsher punishments for using or selling the drug.
Republicans asserted their majority to usher in the new bill with a 312-108 vote, earning significant support from Democrats.
Ninety-eight Democrats voted in favor of the new measure signaling an increase from the House ballots tallied after previous consideration of a similar act in the 118th Congress.
Under the proposed classification, offenses involving 100 grams or more trigger a 10-year mandatory minimum prison term.
“The Halt Fentanyl Act builds on President Trump’s efforts … to secure our border, southern and northern borders, and keep illicit drugs out,” Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) said Wednesday during a press conference. “Republicans are taking decisive, strong, and immediate action to rid American communities of this poison.”
However, some Democrats have taken issue with the bill, citing concerns with excessive prison sentences that could disproportionately impact minority communities.
Some members of Congress, including Rep. Diana DeGette (D-Colo.), have argued that the HALT Fentanyl Act doesn’t provide additional resources to health officials and law enforcement to detect or intercept illicit drugs at legal ports of entry.
“The majority … believe the best way out of this crisis is through incarceration, which simply is not a viable or effective strategy,” DeGette said during a Rules Committee meeting Tuesday night.
News Summary:
- House Republicans pass fentanyl bill with Democratic support
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