‘One of my top priorities’: Ashley Moody praises anti-fentanyl measure signed by Donald Trump

Ashley Moody introduces a bill to strip federal community grants from sanctuary cities.

U.S. Sen. Ashley Moody was on hand to as President Donald Trump signed legislation she cosponsored to reduce the spread of fentanyl.

Trump signed the Halt All Lethal Trafficking of Fentanyl (HALT Fentanyl) Act at a ceremony at the White House.

Moody, a Republican, said she was relieved to see the measure become law. Moody and Trump, along with other officials, were surrounded by so-called “Angel Families” at the ceremony. Those are families who have lost a loved one to abuse of the drug.

“I was honored to join angel families at the White House as President Trump signed our HALT Fentanyl Act into law, which was one of the first bills I cosponsored when sworn into the U.S. Senate. As a parent, losing a child is the most unimaginable thing, and hearing their stories … is a reminder why we cannot let up the fight,” Moody said in a news release.

The measure “permanently places fentanyl-related substances as a class into schedule I of the Controlled Substances Act. A schedule I controlled substance is a drug, substance, or chemical that has a high potential for abuse; has no currently accepted medical value; and is subject to regulatory controls and administrative, civil, and criminal penalties under the Controlled Substances Act.”

The HALT Fentanyl Act involves a 10-year mandatory minimum prison term for offenses involving 100 grams or more of the drug.

During the signing ceremony, Trump said the act would “strike a righteous blow to the drug dealers, narcotic traffickers, and criminal cartels … and we take a historic step toward justice for every family touched by the fentanyl scourge.”

The President added that he considered the measure to be one of the most important bills he has signed.

Moody served as Florida Attorney General before she was appointed to the U.S. Senate to replace Marco Rubio, who advanced to U.S. Secretary of State in the Trump administration. In that previous role, Moody was involved in several efforts to reduce fentanyl use.

When she arrived in Washington, D.C., she was quick to join work to combat the spread of the drug on a federal level.

“Every week, the equivalent of a high school classroom worth of students dies from a fentanyl overdose. It is our responsibility as leaders to do something about this now,” Moody said shortly after arriving in Washington in January.

“Law enforcement officials, national organizations, and state organizations across our country are pleading for this bill. We cannot and will not stop going after people who peddle this poison. Hundreds of thousands of lives depend on it.”

After Trump signed the legislation, Moody said she hopes it has the same impact that her efforts had in Florida.

“While Florida’s Attorney General, one of my top priorities was putting an end to the fentanyl crisis. In 2023, we saw our state’s fentanyl death rate drop 11%, while the national average decreased just 2% during the same time frame. Florida continues to lead the way. Every single day, our law enforcement officers work tirelessly to stop this deadly drug, and this commonsense bill will help hold those who peddle this poison accountable,” Moody said.