Halt All Lethal Trafficking of Fentanyl Act

Floor Speech

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Mr. McDOWELL. Mr. Speaker, this is the first time that I have had the honor of speaking on the floor of this great body, and it isn't by chance. It is because of how important this legislation is and how personal it is to my family and me.

In 2017, we lost my little brother, Luke, to fentanyl poisoning. He was only 20 years old. It changed everything for our family, and there is not a day that goes by that we don't feel the pain of that loss.

Days like tomorrow, February 7, which would have been his 29th birthday, will always come with an especially painful reminder that he should be here.

Unfortunately, the pain that we feel is not unique to my family because tens of thousands of American families are being shattered by this crisis each year.

Today, fentanyl is the leading cause of death among young adults.

Enough is enough, Mr. Speaker. Enough is enough.

This legislation before us today would make important changes. Right now, because of an emergency order, fentanyl and fentanyl-related substances are considered a schedule I drug, but this order is set to expire at the end of March. If it expires, it means that law enforcement will have no authority to seize many of these deadly drugs, that drug traffickers will be empowered to push deadlier drugs on our streets, and that our Border Patrol officials will lose the authority to seize these drugs coming across our border.

This bipartisan legislation is simple. It is not window dressing, Mr. Speaker. It is simple. It would make this emergency order permanent. However, let's never mistake simple for insignificant. We have before us the opportunity to save many lives.

Mr. Speaker, we lost my little brother to fentanyl, and I will not stop until we ensure that others don't lose theirs.

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