[Congressional Record Volume 171, Number 49 (Friday, March 14, 2025)]
[Senate]
[Page S1755]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]



                           HALT Fentanyl Act

  Mr. GRASSLEY. Mr. President, today is a good day for the Senate and a 
good day for the American people. The Senate will soon pass a bill that 
is entitled ``HALT Fentanyl Act.'' The House is expected to take the 
measure up very soon and send it to President Trump, who is waiting 
with pen in hand to enact one of his campaign promises.
  The HALT Fentanyl Act permanently schedules these deadly substances 
that have been the main driver of overdose deaths in the United States. 
No longer does the Drug Enforcement Agency need to play this game of 
Whac-A-Mole every time a cartel develops a new fentanyl knockoff. In 
other words, today, a fentanyl knockoff might be illegal, and then they 
change the chemical makeup of it, and it becomes legal. It is a 
nightmare for law enforcement.
  So no longer will Congress be kicking the can down the road with 
temporary extensions. We have had many, many extensions over the last 
several years to keep fentanyl scheduled and its analogs scheduled in 
I. It also revises policies to research schedule I substances. These 
are changes the research community has welcomed.
  Drug overdoses in the United States have exploded to the highest 
levels we have ever seen, and, of course, this is thanks to fentanyl 
and fentanyl knockoffs. The Drug Enforcement Agency has called fentanyl 
and its knockoffs the ``deadliest drug threat the United States has 
ever faced.''
  Since 2016, I have been raising the alarm on deadly synthetic drugs 
like fentanyl. As chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee, I held a 
hearing on these substances and the need to stay ahead of the peddlers 
of this poison. Sadly, it has taken us 9 long years to get to 
permanently scheduling these deadly knockoffs.
  Of course, we thank each of the previous Congresses that, on a 
temporary basis, extended the scheduling of fentanyl and fentanyl 
knockoffs, but this bipartisan HALT Fentanyl Act takes care of this by 
making it permanent.
  Senators Cassidy, Heinrich, and Johnson were very instrumental in 
this effort. Their interest in permanently scheduling fentanyl 
knockoffs inspired the Senate to move this bill to the floor. 
Republican leadership was also crucial in prioritizing this bill for 
the floor and helping us navigate the floor process.
  Credit is also due to our House colleagues--Representative Griffith, 
Chairman Guthrie, and now retired Chairwoman McMorris Rodgers--who led 
and championed the HALT Fentanyl Act on the House side.
  I would also like to thank Dr. Tim Westlake, who came up with the 
temporary scheduling structure that we have been using since the year 
2018. He has testified before my committee and before the Congress on 
numerous occasions, and I thank him for his hard work and unflappable 
dedication.
  So, in the end, this campaign earned the support of nearly every 
major law enforcement organization and also several medical 
associations and research associations supporting the research 
component of this bill.
  Most importantly, we must say thanks to the countless families 
organized over a long period of time across the country that have lost 
loved ones to fentanyl poisoning and have not given up on this type of 
legislation to make permanent the scheduling.
  I want to thank my Senate staff who helped make this possible, 
especially Colleen Bloss and Michael Perkins, who spearheaded this 
effort for me and all the committee members. Together, we have taken 
steps to open the doors of research to permanently schedule the 
deadliest substance the United States has ever faced and to send a 
clear message that Congress is willing and ready to act. Together, we 
have taken an important step to live up to our commitment to our 
constituents and to the loved ones lost to put them first and to serve 
them.
  I yield the floor.
  I suggest the absence of a quorum.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The clerk will call the roll.
  The bill clerk proceeded to call the roll.
  Mr. BARRASSO. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the order 
for the quorum call be rescinded.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.
  The Senator from Wyoming.