The GOP-sponsored HALT Fentanyl Act passed 289-133 with support from 74 Democrats, who wanted to be on record as supporting legislation intended to crack down on the synthetic opioid crisis.
But the majority of House Democrats opposed the measure, exposing intraparty fault lines.
Republicans say fentanyl and fentanyl-related substances (FRS) are pouring across the border. The legislation, introduced by Rep. Morgan Griffith (R-Va.), aims to curb overdose deaths and protect Americans by giving law enforcement the tools needed to fight those drugs.
Republicans have also criticized the White House for what they say is insufficient efforts to stop the flow of fentanyl into the U.S. from the southern border.
The Biden administration has backed the HALT Fentanyl Act.
In a statement of administration policy earlier this week, the White House said it “has long supported” two key provisions of the bill: permanently classifying all fentanyl analogues as Schedule I drugs and expediting research into such substances.
“These two provisions are critical components of the Biden-Harris Administration’s 2021 recommendations to Congress to combat the supply of illicit FRS and save lives,” the administration said.
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