Floor SpeechUrgent2025-03-13

HALT FENTANYL ACT

Foreign PolicyCrime & Justice

Context

On 2025-03-13, Senator Chris Van Hollen (D-MD) delivered a floor speech titled "HALT FENTANYL ACT" in the Senate. The speech addressed foreign policy and also covered crime and justice. It referenced legislation including S1739, S1740.

Full Text

HALT FENTANYL ACT

Congressional Record, Volume 171 Issue 48 (Thursday, March 13, 2025) [Congressional Record Volume 171, Number 48 (Thursday, March 13, 2025)] [Senate] [Pages S1739-S1740] From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [ www.gpo.gov ] HALT FENTANYL ACT Mr. VAN HOLLEN. Madam President, I voted today to oppose cloture to end debate on the HALT Fentanyl Act. Our Nation and my State of Maryland are experiencing a crisis with synthetic opioids like fentanyl and related drugs, and I strongly support action to combat drug trafficking and prevent overdoses. We need public health solutions that will help American families and our communities, but instead, the bill before us could lead to harmful unintended consequences, including limiting the potential for less addictive [[Page S1740]] pain therapies and treatments like Naloxone that could prevent and reverse overdose. It also expands mandatory minimums, which increase incarceration but do not reduce crime, and applies them to a broad class of drugs regardless of their actual physiological effects, so that someone could be incarcerated for a decade or more for drugs that are effectively harmless. I continue to hope that we will have the opportunity to amend this legislation, including with amendments put forward by my colleague Senator Booker. However, as we still do not have an agreement to hold amendment votes, I voted against cloture to end debate on the bill today. I urge my colleagues to work to improve the bill in order to address the possible unintended consequences of this legislation so instead the bill focuses on tackling dangerous drugs and allows for lifesaving research and development of potential treatments. ____________________

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HALT FENTANYL ACT Congressional Record, Volume 171 Issue 48 (Thursday, March 13, 2025) [Congressional Record Volume 171, Number 48 (Thursday, March 13, 2025)] [Senate] [Pages S1739-S1740] From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [ www.gpo.gov ] HALT FENTANYL ACT Mr. VAN HOLLEN. Madam President, I voted today to oppose cloture to end debate on the HALT Fentanyl Act. Our Nation and my State of Maryland are experiencing a crisis with synthetic opioids like fentanyl and related drugs, and I strongly support action to combat drug trafficking and prevent overdoses. We need public health solutions that will help American families and our communities, but instead, the bill before us could lead to harmful unintended consequences, including limiting the potential for less addictive [[Page S1740]] pain therapies and treatments like Naloxone that could prevent and reverse overdose. It also expands mandatory minimums, which increase incarceration but do not reduce crime, and applies them to a broad class of drugs regardless of their actual physiological effects, so that someone could be incarcerated for a decade or more for drugs that are effectively harmless. I continue to hope that we will have the opportunity to amend this legislation, including with amendments put forward by my colleague Senator Booker. However, as we still do not have an agreement to hold amendment votes, I voted against cloture to end debate on the bill today. I urge my colleagues to work to improve the bill in order to address the possible unintended consequences of this legislation so instead the bill focuses on tackling dangerous drugs and allows for lifesaving research and development of potential treatments. ____________________