As that sainted troubadour of the '80s, Huey Lewis, once said, "Sometimes, bad is bad." And we can all agree that fentanyl is bad, right? I really shouldn't even have to bring that up, but alas, such is the world in which we live.
Since we can all agree that fentanyl is bad, we must ask why a cadre of Democrats is trying to block a bill that would at least slow down the influx of the drug into the U.S. The HALT Fentanyl Act would permanently classify fentanyl analog drugs under Schedule I. American Wire notes:
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.
Given the myriad of dangers surrounding the use and trade of fentanyl, this sounds like the proverbial no-brainer/slam dunk. It even has bipartisan support. But there are a few partisans that are trying to delay or maybe even derail the bill — namely, Senate Democrats Cory Booker, Sheldon Whitehouse, and Ed Markey. Booker wants to extend the temporary scheduling of fentanyl under the auspices that the HALT Act would create tougher penalties for drugs. Whitehouse and Markey contend that the act would create problems for research on fentanyl analogs and result in mass incarceration for minorities. Always go with the classics.
American Wire added that parents who have lost children to fentanyl were not convinced, to say the least. Jaime Puerta, who lost a son to the drug, told Booker in a letter, "Continuing resolutions to accommodate the scheduling aspect of fentanyl analogs is simply a method of kicking the can further down the road. 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.”
Lauri Badura sent a letter to Senate leadership that read in part:
How can the public hold out hope Congress will fix the larger problem of illicit fentanyl crossing our borders every single day? I am not alone in urging passage of the HALT Fentanyl Act. 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.
So what gives? Enter everyone's favorite Bond villain, George Soros. The outlet noted that much of the pushback on the HALT Act comes from a Soros-backed non-profit, which has put forward the same talking points as Booker, Whitehouse, and Markey. Okay, that makes sense. Of course, a Soros group would be opposed to stopping or even stemming the flow of fentanyl into the U.S. It's hard to destroy and remake a country that is trying to fight its way out of chaos. So naturally, Booker, Markey, and Whitehouse are falling into line. What they get out of the deal is unknown but probably involves money.
Soros has his hands full at the moment. In addition to the above-mentioned issue, earlier in the week, the Free Beacon reported that the Soros-supported groups "Indivisible" and "MoveOn" have been at the heart of some of the demonstrations against DOGE and have been mobilizing efforts on a grassroots level.
Pushing fake outrage will backfire on them https://t.co/Mrv0RCwn7p
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) February 27, 2025
I don't know what is more frightening: the would-be dictators and the lengths to which they will go to consolidate money and power or the masses, particularly the legislators who follow them.
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