Congressman Taylor, Congressman Levin introduce bipartisan bill to fight fentanyl trafficking and hold bad actors accountable

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Congressman Dave Taylor (OH-02) and Congressman Mike Levin (CA-49) today introduced the Fight Fentanyl Act, which will ensure local, state, and federal law enforcement officials across the country have the tools and equipment needed to get fentanyl and illicit substances off the streets. The House introduction of the Fight Fentanyl Act follows the introduction of the Senate companion bill S.767, called the HIDTA Enhancement Act, by Senator Mark Kelly (R-AZ) on February 27th, 2025.
 
Representatives Claudia Tenney (NY-24), Scott DesJarlais (TN-04), Carol Miller (WV-01), Mike Ezell (MS-04), Dan Goldman (NY-10), Dan Crenshaw (TX-02), Marie Gluesenkamp Perez (WA-03), Brad Finstad (MN-01), Don Bacon (NE-02), Neal Dunn (FL-02), Don Davis (NC-01), Gerry Connolly (VA-11), David Rouzer (NC-12), Jeff Hurd (CO-3), Gabe Vasquez (NM-02), Josh Riley (NY-19), Janelle Bynum (OR-05), and Josh Harder (CA-09) joined Congressman Taylor and Congressman Levin in the introduction of the House version of this bill.
 
“For too long, cartels and other bad actors have crossed our borders, bringing fentanyl and other illicit substances into the U.S.,” said Congressman Taylor. “Instead of being available to attend to other needs in our communities, local law enforcement officials continue to struggle to keep up with the constant flow of fentanyl in our communities. My bipartisan Fight Fentanyl Act will equip law enforcement officials with the tools they need to get illicit drugs out of American neighborhoods and hold fentanyl traffickers accountable for their actions.”
 
“Law enforcement agencies in Arizona are doing their best every single day to keep families safe from lethal drugs like fentanyl. We’re supporting them by boosting collaboration between federal and local law enforcement to crack down on drug trafficking,” said Senator Kelly. “This is an example of the long-lasting solutions that Republicans and Democrats can work on together to secure our border and prevent the flow of drugs into our communities.”
 
"Fentanyl is tearing apart communities in West Virginia and across the nation. Every life lost emphasizes the urgent need for stronger action to combat this crisis and protect our citizens,” said Congresswoman Miller. “The Fight Fentanyl Act will reauthorize the High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area (HIDTA) Program so that law enforcement officials, like those that tirelessly work at the Appalachia HIDTA in West Virginia, have the tools and resources they need to combat the devastating effects of illegal drugs.” 
 
“As a former sheriff, I’ve seen firsthand the devastating impact fentanyl and other dangerous drugs have on our communities,” said Congressman Ezell. “The Fight Fentanyl Act will strengthen the HIDTA Program and ensure law enforcement at every level has the resources they need to get these deadly drugs off our streets. It also sends a clear message to traffickers: if you bring fentanyl into our country, you will be held accountable. I’m proud to support this bill and stand with our law enforcement partners in the fight to protect American lives.”
 
“Fentanyl has destroyed countless lives in Colorado’s Third District and across our nation. We must act to eradicate this dangerous drug from our communities,” said Congressman Hurd. “I’m proud to co-sponsor the Fight Fentanyl Act, which gives our hardworking federal, state, local, and tribal law enforcement agencies the resources they need to ramp up fentanyl seizure activities and crack down on drug traffickers.”
 
The Fight Fentanyl Act would reform and reauthorize the High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area (HIDTA) Program to ensure local, state, and federal law enforcement officials across the country have the tools and equipment needed to help keep fentanyl and other illegal drugs off the streets they serve. This bill would also ensure fentanyl traffickers face prosecution for smuggling and distributing these illicit drugs into the United States.
 
Specifically, this bill would:

• Create a report illustrating how funding under HIDTA is used to investigate drug traffickers and their prosecution, the amount of fentanyl seized, data collected from regional HIDTA programs on trends and patterns in substance abuse, trafficking, the transportation of fentanyl, and any limitations that HIDTA programs may be facing in carrying out their mission;

• Reauthorize the HIDTA Program at $333 million annually through Fiscal Year 2030, a $53 million annual increase from the previous year;

• Provide $14 million to federal, state, local, and tribal law enforcement agencies to enhance fentanyl seizure and interdiction activities;

• Direct the U.S. Attorney General to assign assistant United States attorneys to individual HIDTA programs to bolster the investigation and prosecution of organizations and individuals trafficking fentanyl and ensure that these criminals are prosecuted to the full extent of the law.
 
Background:
 
The Fight Fentanyl Act was introduced in the 118th Congress by former Congressman Duarte as H.R. 7185, the HIDTA Enhancement Act of 2024. Major provisions were included in H.R. 9598, the Office of National Drug Control Policy (ONDCP) Reauthorization Act of 2024, which passed the House of Representatives in December 2024, but was not signed into law.  
 
Administered by the Office of National Drug Control Policy, the HIDTA Program is designed to increase information and resource sharing between local, state, and federal law enforcement agencies to combat illegal drug trafficking in the United States. 33 individual HIDTAs exist across the United States, specifically in areas with a significant center of illegal drug production, manufacturing, importation, or distribution.
 
In Ohio, the eight counties with the highest overdose death rates are all in the Second Congressional District. Scioto County has the worst overdose death rate in the state – three times the Ohio average and four times the national average. 
 
In fiscal years 2023 and 2024, the United States Customs and Border Protection’s (CBP) Border Patrol seized nearly 50,000 pounds of fentanyl, which is enough to produce more than 2 billion lethal doses of the drug. In the same two years, over 200,000 Americans lost their lives from drug overdoses.
 
The Ohio HIDTA Program, which serves Ohio, Northern Kentucky, and Western Pennsylvania, seized more than 316 kilograms and 183,000 dosage units of fentanyl, 48 kilograms of heroin, and 2,400 kilograms of methamphetamines in 2024, while apprehending 1,476 fugitives with drug charges.
 
HIDTA programs have a consistent track record of eradicating illicit drugs and drug dealers from American communities, and reforming this program through the Fight Fentanyl Act would better enable law enforcement to address the United States’ fentanyl crisis and keep American communities safe.
 
The full bill text for the Fight Fentanyl Act is available here: https://taylor.house.gov/sites/evo-subsites/taylor.house.gov/files/evo-…

Congressman David Taylor represents Ohio’s Second Congressional District which includes Clermont, Clinton, Pike, Adams, Brown, Highland, Ross, Scioto, Pickaway, Hocking, Vinton, Jackson, Lawrence, Gallia, and Meigs counties, as well as part of Fayette County. Taylor serves on the House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure and the House Agriculture Committee. Prior to serving in Congress, Taylor worked as an assistant prosecutor for Clermont County before joining his family’s concrete business, where he ultimately served as President. Please visit taylor.house.gov for more information.