Congressional Democrats have, for the most part, been reflexively oppositional to the priorities of Republicans and President Donald Trump, but on at least a few issues, a substantial number of them have been willing to cooperate across the aisle.

On Thursday, nearly 100 House Democrats joined with their GOP colleagues to vote in favor of a bill that would authorize a crackdown on fentanyl traffickers, Politico reported.

Reducing, if not completely halting the illicit cross-border flow of the deadly synthetic opioid drug is a top priority for President Trump and was one of the main reasons behind his threatened tariffs on Canada and Mexico and additional tariffs on China.

Passed with strong bipartisan support

On the first day of the new term of Congress, Rep. Morgan Griffith (R-VA) introduced H.R. 27, the HALT Fentanyl Act, and it finally came up for a vote on the House floor on Thursday, where it was overwhelmingly passed with a bipartisan majority of 312-108.

That majority included 98 Democrats, which was two dozen more than the 74 Democrats who voted for a similar measure during the last congressional term, per Politico.

Though the previous iteration of the bill had also cleared the House, it never received a vote in the Democrat-controlled Senate. With Republicans now in control of the Senate, however, and a sufficient number of Democratic co-sponsors for matching legislation in that chamber to avoid a possible filibuster, it is expected to easily be approved and sent along to the White House for President Trump's signature.

What would the bill do?

If passed into law, the Halt All Lethal Trafficking of Fentanyl Act would reclassify street versions of the deadly drug, known as fentanyl-related substances, as the most serious Schedule I drugs under the Controlled Substances Act, and would impose significant punishments on those caught trafficking it.

The bill would also provide for additional approved research into fentanyl, its legal and illicit uses, and its street analogs that become fentanyl-related substances.

Those fentanyl-related substances had previously been temporarily upgraded to Schedule I, but that designation expires on March 31, which may provide some urgency for the Senate to move quickly to pass the measure and get it to President Trump to be signed into law well before that date.

Statements from House GOPers

Rep. Griffith, who was joined by Rep. Bob Latta (R-OH) in introducing the HALT Fentanyl Act, said in a joint statement following the bill's passage of the House, "The ongoing fentanyl crisis has been fueled in part by a rise in lethal fentanyl-related substances."

"We are pleased to see House passage of the HALT Fentanyl Act, which prioritizes the safety of American life and highlights our commitment to defeating the scourge of fentanyl," the two congressmen added. "Accordingly, we urge swift passage of HALT Fentanyl in the Senate so we can complement President Trump’s actions to curb the flow of fentanyl into America."

"Today, the House took a critical step forward to combat the fentanyl crisis by passing the HALT Fentanyl Act," House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) said. "For far too long, the Biden administration’s failure to secure our border allowed this deadly drug to pour into our country and kill more than 200 Americans a day. This bill permanently classifies fentanyl-related substances as Schedule I, giving law enforcement the tools needed to halt this epidemic."

"With this legislation and President Trump’s recent actions to secure our northern and southern borders, Republicans are taking decisive, strong, and immediate action to keep these dangerous drugs out of our communities," the speaker added.

Neither President Trump nor the White House have addressed the HALT Fentanyl Act, but it is a near certainty that Trump will sign it into law if it reaches his desk, given that combating the fentanyl crisis has been among his top concerns for years and was an oft-cited factor in his crackdown on border security and threatened tariffs against Canada, Mexico, and China.