Sen. Husted introduces bill to stop fentanyl trafficking

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Sen. Jon Husted (R-Ohio) today introduced the Measuring Illicit Fentanyl Trafficking Act. This bill would require the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to establish clear performance metrics for detecting, deterring and seizing illicit fentanyl and identify barriers preventing an effective federal response.

“Fentanyl has devasted Ohio and has been responsible for 69% of unintentional drug overdose deaths in our state. We need to do everything we can to keep this deadly drug off our streets. The federal government needs clear data to understand what’s working, identify gaps and strengthen our efforts to stop fentanyl trafficking. This bipartisan bill has already passed the House, and I look forward to championing it in the Senate and getting it signed into law to help save American lives,” said Husted.

Fentanyl is the leading cause of overdose deaths in the U.S., involved in nearly 70% of fatal overdoses.

A September 2025 Government Accountability Office report found that DHS’ ability to fully assess the effectiveness of its efforts to combat fentanyl trafficking is limited by gaps in data collection, data sharing and performance metrics. The report recommended that DHS establish a data collection program to assess the effectiveness of technologies and strategies used to detect and deter fentanyl, establish interagency information-sharing programs, and set performance goals and measures related to the department’s efforts to combat fentanyl trafficking.

The Measuring Illicit Fentanyl Trafficking Act would require components within DHS that detect, deter and seize fentanyl to share relevant information with sections of DHS that are engaged in similar work, ensure full implementation of a program to assess DHS strategies and technologies and establish clear performance goals and measures to track how effectively the department is combating the flow of fentanyl and protecting American communities.

Reps. Michael McCaul (R-Texas), James Walkinshaw (D-Va.), Michael Guest (R-Miss.) and Lou Correa (D-Calif.) introduced the companion legislation in the U.S. House of Representatives.

The bill passed the House unanimously on July 13, 2026.

The Measuring Illicit Fentanyl Trafficking Act builds on Husted’s work to combat fentanyl trafficking. He helped pass the HALT Fentanyl Act, which was signed into law to make the temporary class-wide scheduling order for fentanyl-related substances permanent, closing a dangerous loophole that drug traffickers continue to exploit.