Democrat lawmakers are under fire for opposing a bipartisan bill that aims to stem the flow of fentanyl smuggled by drug traffickers.

The HALT Fentanyl Act, aimed at permanently classifying fentanyl analogs under Schedule I, faces resistance from a drug policy nonprofit supported by George Soros, which argues that the legislation would worsen mass incarceration and hinder research into these opioids. Democrats like New Jersey Sen. Cory Booker have echoed these concerns while attempting to delay the bill’s progress through amendments and procedural tactics, Fox News reported.

A Schedule I classification under U.S. federal law refers to drugs or substances deemed to have a high potential for abuse, no currently accepted medical use in treatment in the United States, and a lack of accepted safety for use even under medical supervision. This category is the most restrictive under the Controlled Substances Act, which was established in 1970 to regulate drugs based on their medical value and risk of misuse.

Senate Democrats like Cory Booker, Sheldon Whitehouse, and Ed Markey are trying to make it easier for dealers to keep pushing fentanyl-like drugs in America.

They are putting criminals ahead of victims.https://t.co/JEJHpep8qO

— Senate Republicans (@SenateGOP) February 27, 2025

Booker called for extending the temporary scheduling of fentanyl analogs and claimed that the HALT Act will result in “harsher penalties for drugs,” Fox reported.

Democrat Senators Sheldon Whitehouse and Ed Markey, also argued that the HALT Act would slow research on fentanyl analogs and exacerbate mass incarceration among minorities, according to Fox.

Booker cited parents who lost children to fentanyl to make his case, but those same parents are in support of the HALT Act.

“Continuing resolutions to accommodate the scheduling aspect of fentanyl analogs is simply a method of kicking the can further down the road,” Jaime Puerta, who lost his son, Daniel, in 2020 to a fentanyl overdose, wrote in a letter to Booker on Wednesday and was obtained by Fox News Digital. “Fentanyl and its analogs have been the leading cause of overdose deaths in the United States, with synthetic opioids accounting for over 74,000 fatalities in 2023 alone. Your reluctance to support the HALT Fentanyl Act disregards the escalating death toll and the devastating impact on families and communities nationwide.”

Another grieving parent questioned how the Senate can fix the “larger problem” if they can’t even pass the Halt Act.

“How can the public hold out hope Congress will fix the larger problem of illicit fentanyl crossing our borders every single day?” Lauri Badura asked in a separate letter sent Senate leadership.

“I am not alone in urging passage of the HALT Fentanyl Act,” Badura wrote. “Families across America – in your states! – who have lost a child or loved one to fentanyl poisoning want this bill passed. Our kids did not want to die.”

The sponsors of the HALT Act argue that it would cut through red tape by simplifying the registration process for Schedule I researchers, paving the way for more scientists to investigate fentanyl analogs.

Meanwhile, President Trump addressed the Fentanyl crisis during his first cabinet meeting, and vowed to hold Canada and Mexico accountable for doing nothing to stop it from entering the U.S.

TRUMP: “We’ve lost millions of people due to fentanyl. It comes mostly from China, but it comes through Mexico and it comes through Canada. And I have to tell you that you know, on April 2nd— the tariffs go on. Not all of them, but a lot of them.” pic.twitter.com/zSzSPbRT5Q

— Charlie Kirk (@charliekirk11) February 26, 2025

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