Fentanyl

Floor Speech

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Mr. GRASSLEY. Mr. President, the countdown is on. Today marks the beginning of 100 days until the critical and lifesaving authority placing fentanyl-related substances in schedule I expires. In 100 days that expires.

Congress has extended this authority multiple times, most recently in May. However, when choosing how long to extend this authority, Congress shortchanged itself by providing only 5 months to contemplate how to permanently control fentanyl analogs. I pushed for a longer extension, even spearheading bipartisan legislation that would have extended this authority into the next year, but my colleagues on the other side of the aisle insisted that 5 months was sufficient to work with the administration to find a permanent solution scheduling fentanyl-related substances.

I had skepticism about this when the 5-month extension passed in May, and I have even more skepticism now. That is because we are only 100 days away from losing this essential authority and the administration still has not indicated how it intends to solve this problem. So Congress is operating in the dark.

The administration says that a legislative proposal will be sent to Congress as early as next month. But this proposal won't be a done deal once it arrives on Capitol Hill because, you know, Presidents propose, Congress disposes.

If it doesn't include measures to protect vulnerable communities, to prevent more drug overdose victims, and proactively deter and punish drug traffickers, then it won't be enough to solve the problems of a drug--fentanyl--killing several hundred thousand people.

I have been beating the drum on scheduling fentanyl analogs for a long period of time because it is a fight worth having. We simply can't afford to let these deadly substances go unscheduled.

What happens if we don't schedule fentanyl analogs in the next 100 days? Well, it is pretty obvious. Opioid-related deaths fueled by fentanyl analogs increased by 35 percent in my State of Iowa. What about the other 49 States? But 35 percent in Iowa last year. That happens to be in line with nationwide trends. So deaths will continue to rise if we don't buckle down and get onto this issue of scheduling fentanyl schedule I on a permanent basis.

Also, according to the Customs and Border Patrol, so far this year, enough fentanyl and its analogs have been seized to kill the entire population of the United States not once, but 10 times over.

Some may view drug crimes as victimless. You need to tell that to the hundreds of thousands of families who have lost their brother, sister, parent, or child to fentanyl.

Tell that to Rob and Deb Courtney, the parents of Chad Courtney from North Liberty, IA. Chad died 5 years ago because of fentanyl. He used painkillers and then turned to abusing heroin. Rod and Deb tried to help their son through rehab and treatment. Then one day they received the call that they had been dreading. Their son died because a drug dealer laced heroin with a deadly fentanyl substance. Rod said that one of the last memories he has of his son was picking him up from treatment and Chad stating, ``I just want to make a difference.''

We owe it to Chad and the other 36,359 victims of fentanyl-related overdose deaths to make a difference now, and that means passing legislation that schedules fentanyl and its analogs permanently.

Congress can ensure that we put people over profits and communities over cartels by permanently scheduling fentanyl-related substances. I don't doubt that my colleagues on both sides of the aisle want to protect their constituents. Nobody wants more overdose deaths in their home States. So let's work together to put this issue to rest at last.

Starting today, the countdown is on. As I said in the beginning, 100 more days. I hope the administration and my Senate colleagues are ready to get to work on permanently scheduling fentanyl-related substances. I know that I am ready.

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