Grieving parents are urging Capitol Hill leaders to put the final stamp on fentanyl-scheduling legislation that’s attracted bipartisan support in both chambers but is languishing in the House.
Jaime Puerta, in a letter Sunday, marked the fifth anniversary of his son Daniel’s fentanyl-related death by pressing House Speaker Mike Johnson and other House leaders to take up the HALT Fentanyl Act.
“It is with this urgency that I implore you to prioritize and expedite the passage of the HALT Fentanyl Act,” he wrote to Mr. Johnson, Majority Leader Steve Scalise and Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries. “This critical legislation aims to permanently classify fentanyl-related substances as Schedule I drugs, providing law enforcement with the necessary tools to combat the trafficking and distribution of these deadly compounds.”
The HALT Fentanyl Act would permanently place fentanyl and its chemical cousins on Schedule I, rather than remaining there under temporary scheduling.
Mr. Puerta said the bill remains “held at desk” in the House.
“Every moment of inaction allows this crisis to claim more lives. Failing to act swiftly will create a dangerous loophole, enabling traffickers to exploit our legal system and perpetuate the cycle of death and despair,” he wrote.
Illicit fentanyl and its analogs are synthetic opioids that are fueling the U.S. drug overdose crisis. Yet Congress has struggled for years to pass legislation that would keep these substances on the Schedule I list of drugs that have no accepted medical use and a high potential for abuse.
Experts say permanent, rather than temporary, scheduling would result in efficient prosecutions and consistent penalties under guidelines from the U.S. Sentencing Commission while sending a signal to China and Mexico that America is serious about tackling the fentanyl problem as it pressures those nations to do more.
The House easily passed the HALT Fentanyl Act on a bipartisan vote last month, giving the effort momentum.
The Senate passed its version of the bill, so as a legislative matter, the House must pass the bill again before it reaches President Trump for his signature.
While the House and Senate bills are quite similar, the House is reviewing some differences in the Senate-passed legislation before taking it up. The main differences between the bills are relatively minor, such as correcting citations.
A House official said the HALT Fentanyl measure remains a major priority and that leadership thinks it has demonstrated that by acting earlier in this Congress to secure bipartisan passage.
Illicit fentanyl is made in clandestine labs and has an array of chemical analogs. It’s tough for U.S. laws to keep up with every form, so the HALT Fentanyl Act seeks to cover all of the illicit supply and make it easier for prosecutors to win cases.
Proponents say the bill would not affect the legal use of fentanyl as a longstanding painkiller or impede research into the drug.
Some Democrats have been leery of permanent scheduling, saying the legislation could result in over-incarceration of drug offenders instead of attacking the root causes of drug addiction. Still, the legislation is on track to make it to Mr. Trump’s desk after years of stalemate.
Rates of overdose deaths started to decline noticeably during the latter years of the Biden administration, though 82,000 died in the 12 months ending in October 2024, according to the latest provisional data.
Mr. Trump has emphasized stemming fentanyl. He imposed a 25% tariff on goods from Canada and Mexico, saying they haven’t done enough to stem trafficking, although many products are exempt under the U.S.-Mexico-Canada trade agreement.
Mr. Puerta said his son, Daniel, died on April 6, 2020, from fentanyl. He was 16 years old.
Since then, Mr. Puerta has joined forces with other parents through organizations like Victims of Illicit Drugs (VOID) and Facing Fentanyl to urge legislative action.
“Daniel’s story is one of countless others. Each represents a life full of potential, love, and dreams unrealized. We have the power and the responsibility to enact change that can save lives and prevent further tragedies,” Mr. Puerta wrote to House leaders. “I urge you, with the deepest respect and the utmost urgency, to bring the HALT Fentanyl Act to the floor for a vote without delay.”
