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Congressional Research Service
Version 00 · Introduced in House · Jan 3, 2025
Fentanyl is a WMD Act
This bill requires the Countering Weapons of Mass Destruction Office of the Department of Homeland Security to treat illicit fentanyl as a weapon of mass destruction.
People & committees
Rep. Boebert, Lauren [R-CO-4] · R–CO
Legislative record
A procedural vote is different from passage. Passage in one chamber does not establish enactment. Explore the glossary.
Referred to the Subcommittee on Emergency Management and Technology.
Referred to the House Committee on Homeland Security.
Introduced in House
Introduced in House
Primary sources
Text links open the official source. We also preserved the text version used in the PlainBill explanation below.
No related bills are listed in this snapshot. This does not establish whether the proposal has appeared in earlier Congresses.
Source last updated: Sep 19, 2026. Consult Congress.gov for the current record.
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Analyze H.R.128 as objectively as possible. Explain its main provisions, who would be affected, possible benefits and harms, implementation, exceptions, and uncertainties. Present the strongest arguments for and against it, and identify evidence needed to assess its public impact.
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PlainBill explanation
Based on the full Introduced in House · 2025-01-03 text. This explanation has not received human editorial review. This overview describes the proposal’s major provisions; it does not establish what its real-world effects would be.
This bill would require the Department of Homeland Security’s Assistant Secretary for its Countering Weapons of Mass Destruction Office to treat illicit fentanyl as a weapon of mass destruction for purposes of a specified part of federal homeland security law.
The Assistant Secretary for the Countering Weapons of Mass Destruction Office of the Department of Homeland Security shall treat illicit fentanyl as a weapon of mass destruction for purposes of title XIX of the Homeland Security Act of 2002 (6 U.S.C. 590 et seq.).
The proposed law is named the “Fentanyl is a WMD Act.” Its mandatory treatment of illicit fentanyl would apply specifically for purposes of title XIX of the Homeland Security Act of 2002; the provision does not direct that treatment under every federal law.
This Act may be cited as the Fentanyl is a WMD Act.
The Assistant Secretary for the Countering Weapons of Mass Destruction Office of the Department of Homeland Security shall treat illicit fentanyl as a weapon of mass destruction for purposes of title XIX of the Homeland Security Act of 2002 (6 U.S.C. 590 et seq.).
The supplied action snapshot, updated September 19, 2026, records introduction in the House and referrals to the House Committee on Homeland Security and its Subcommittee on Emergency Management and Technology on January 3, 2025.
Source snapshot updated 2026-09-19T23:06:34Z. 2025-01-03: Referred to the Subcommittee on Emergency Management and Technology. 2025-01-03: Referred to the House Committee on Homeland Security. 2025-01-03: Introduced in House
A closer look
Reviewed version: Introduced in House · 2025-01-03. These findings describe provisions and who may benefit; they are not judgments of waste, corruption, or motive.
This review covers the supplied bill text. “None identified” does not rule out provisions in later versions or accompanying reports and disclosures.
Provisions outside the bill’s main subject, or policy changes attached to appropriations.
None identified in the reviewed text
No unrelated provision or policy change attached to appropriations was identified in the complete supplied introduced text. This conclusion is limited to that version.
Spending directed to particular recipients or places outside ordinary competitive or formula-based allocation.
None identified in the reviewed text
No directed spending for particular recipients or places was identified in the complete supplied introduced text. This conclusion does not establish the absence of earmarks in other versions or accompanying materials.
Narrow exceptions, exemptions, or preferential treatment that warrant a closer look.
None identified in the reviewed text
No materially narrow benefit, special exemption, or preferential treatment was identified in the complete supplied introduced text. This conclusion is limited to that version.
Full text preserved for this analysis. Legislative record snapshot: Sep 19, 2026. How PlainBill uses AI