The Republican-led House passed legislation Thursday with significant Democratic support that would lead to harsher sentences for fentanyl traffickers, leaving it with a good chance of becoming law.

The so-called HALT Fentanyl Act got more Democrats on board this year, with 98 voting in favor, compared with the 74 Democrats who backed a similar version when it passed the House last Congress. The bill didn’t receive a Senate vote at that time amid Democratic concerns it leaned too heavily on law enforcement and would result in more mass incarcerations — a worry for some Democrats this time around too.

But now, with Republicans controlling the Senate and enough Democratic co-sponsors in that chamber to clear the filibuster threshold, the bill has a strong chance of being enacted. It sailed through the House with a 312-108 vote.

The swift passage in the House so early in the new year underscores that Republicans see responding to the opioid epidemic as both a top policy priority and a political messaging winner, framing the issue in the context of calls to bolster border security and arguing Democrats haven’t done enough to stop it.

At the same time, the growing bipartisan support for the legislation signals a growing willingness among Democrats to lean into law enforcement after a bruising election loss that left them out of power in Washington.

The measure would permanently classify street versions of fentanyl, the killer synthetic opioid, as Schedule I substances, in recognition of the seriousness of the product’s addictive and deadly qualities. It also would bolster efforts to research fentanyl analogs.

Fentanyl-related substances are currently considered a Schedule I substance on a temporary basis until March 31, putting pressure on lawmakers to act quickly to make that designation permanent. Fentanyl itself, which has medicinal uses, is a Schedule II drug.

Supporters of the legislation have argued it would give law enforcement more power to crack down on drug traffickers, since it would result in harsher sentences for fentanyl traffickers. Many Democrats, in addition to their concerns that the bill will exacerbate inequities in the criminal justice system, are calling for an approach that puts more of an emphasis on public health.

“Rescheduling fentanyl as a Schedule I substance in and of itself does not prevent one death,” said Rep. Diana DeGette of Colorado, the top Democrat on the House Energy and Commerce Committee’s health subcommittee, said at a Rules Committee hearing this week. “The HALT Fentanyl Act does nothing to provide law enforcement or public health agencies with additional resources to detect and intercept illicit drugs at legal ports of entry, nor does it provide resources for prevention, treatment or recovery efforts.”

Rep. Morgan Griffith (R-Va.), a senior member of the Energy and Commerce Committee and the bill’s sponsor, has said the HALT Fentanyl Act is just one part of a broader approach needed to take on the opioid crisis, including tariffs on imports from China, which provides many of the chemicals used to produce fentanyl.

Democrats also expressed frustration during floor debate with a Trump administration federal funding freeze that has thrown health care providers into chaos.

“There are still real concerns about federal funding not getting out the door to help us combat the drug overdose epidemic,” Energy and Commerce Committee ranking member Frank Pallone (D-N.J.) said.

Democrats took advantage of the rules of the Senate Judiciary Committee on Thursday to delay consideration of Kash Patel’s nomination to lead the FBI — but broke some recent precedent in the process.

While lawmakers typically do a one-week punt on Judiciary Committee votes for an variety of reasons — from opposing a bill to nominees — rarely if ever does the panel meet in person to formally approve the delay. Democrats’ vehement opposition to confirming Patel prompted such an in-person gathering.

Democrats had requested a second hearing with Patel to grill him over the recent leadership shakeup at the FBI. They view the staunch Trump loyalist as someone who is prepared to use the pulpit of the FBI to go after political adversaries.

Senate Judiciary Chair Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) had denied Democrats’ pleas, describing on Thursday the meeting as breaking with the panel’s norms. He has said he intends to hold Patel’s committee vote as early as next week.

House Democrats have a plan to help them win back the working class: turn the world’s richest person into their boogeyman.

They’ve set their sights on holding Elon Musk to account, by attempting to subpoena him and introducing legislation to block him from receiving federal contracts while he holds a “special” role inside the government. They believe the idea of an unelected billionaire wreaking chaos on the bureaucracy will be unpopular with voters — and now they have some data to prove it.

New internal polling, conducted on behalf of House Majority Forward, a nonprofit aligned with House Democratic leadership, found Musk is viewed negatively among 1,000 registered voters in battleground districts. His approval rating is upside down (43 percent approve to 51 disapprove) and his favorability is even worse (42 percent favorable to 51 percent unfavorable).

And the survey was completed between Jan. 19-25 — before some of Musk’s more extreme moves as the leader of the Department of Government Efficiency.

Pollsters asked respondents for their thoughts on “the creation of a government of the rich for the rich by appointing up to nine different billionaires to the administration,” and found 70 percent opposed with only 19 percent in support — a stat that suggests Democrats have landed on a message that could gain traction with swing voters.

That data and focus groups held by House Majority Fund helped bring attacks on the administration into focus: Democrats “shouldn’t chide Musk, Trump, and others for being rich,” the group wrote, but point out Musk’s conflicts of interests as head of DOGE and note that he could undermine key safety net programs to enrich himself at the expense of American taxpayers.

“Participants laud Musk’s business acumen and aren’t opposed to the ideals of DOGE,” HMF found. But “Musk’s relationship with Trump – who they view as inherently pro-big business” makes them wary that billionaire’s cuts “could include programs such as Medicare, Medicaid, and Social Security.”

Democrats have been in the midst of a deep soul search, trying to figure out how they lost the White House, both chambers of Congress and the working-class voters that had once been the backbone of their party. The Democratic resistance has been muted in the open weeks of Donald Trump’s second term as its members struggle to land on a common theme.

But Musk’s frenzied campaign to eliminate waste and lower spending has rocked the federal bureaucracy. And in recent days, Democrats have seized on Musk and other wealthy members of Trump’s administration as a way to make their case to the working class.

The poll, conducted by the Democratic firm Impact Research, also found that Musk evoked strong negative feelings. Of the 51 percent who viewed him unfavorably, 41 percent found him “very unfavorable.” Of the 51 percent who disapproved of him, 43 percent did so strongly.