President Trump Addresses Fentanyl Crisis in State of the Union Address

In the 2026 State of the Union Address, President Trump used the national address to champion the steady declines in fentanyl seizures as a sign of policy success, and demonstrate that the fentanyl crisis harming American communities continues to be a top priority for his administration. 

Leading up to the State of the Union Address, ​Drug Czar Sara Carter and other Trump Administration officials convened representatives from social media companies, including Meta, TikTok, X, YouTube, and Internet Works, for a discussion focused on ending the sale of illicit drugs through social media platforms on February 18. 

Following the meeting, the Office of National Drug Control Policy released a video on Facebook and Instagram to launch a public awareness campaign about the grave threat that illicit drugs pose to human life. 

In December 2025, President Trump designated fentanyl as a weapon of mass destruction. Earlier in 2025, he signed into law the Halt All Lethal Trafficking Act (HALT), bipartisan legislation, which permanently classifies fentanyl-related substances as a Schedule I drug under the Controlled Substances and strengthens law enforcement's ability to combat synthetic opioid trafficking. 

Congress is also continuing to take action to combat the rising rates of opioid deaths in the U.S. In February, the Workplace Overdose Reversal Kits (WORK) to Save Lives Act was introduced as bipartisan legislation to increase access to overdose reversal medications like naloxone.