Congressman deserves support for steadfast leadership on numerous animal welfare issues
Washington, D.C. — Animal Wellness Action, a national policy and political organization seeking to enhance and advance legal protections for animals, has endorsed Rep. Mike Quigley for re-election in the race for Illinois’s 5th congressional district.
The group lauded his strong leadership on numerous animal welfare issues, including his key role as the author of the Big Cat Public Safety Act, which President Biden signed into law in 2022, halting the sale of big cats such as lions, tigers, and panthers (including their cubs) at roadside zoos and other venues. If re-elected, Quigley is slated to be part of the leadership team for the Congressional Animal Protection Caucus in his next term.
“Mike Quigley is one of the leaders on animal welfare in the U.S. Congress,” said Wayne Pacelle, president of Animal Wellness Action. “He understands that cruelty to animals is wrong and that it’s typically bound up with other forms of social violence.”
Pacelle also commended Rep. Quigley for signing a letter opposing the Ending Agricultural Trade Suppression (EATS) Act (H.R. 4417), which is being pushed by the Chinese-owned factory farming company Smithfield Foods to federally overturn certain voter-approved state laws that shield farm animals from extreme confinement in cramped cages. If passed, the EATS Act would undercut a multi-million-dollar investment many American family farmers have already made in more humane housing systems.
Also in his current term, Rep. Quigley voted against an irresponsible bill (H.R. 764) the House Republican leadership brought up on the House floor that would have stripped Endangered Species Act protections for gray wolves across much of the lower 48 states, opening the door to trophy hunting and commercial trapping. Such a policy might also expose wolves to being recreationally run over with snowmobiles – a practice that came to light earlier this year in Wyoming.
Quigley was also praised for supporting a wide range of bipartisan animal welfare legislation including the Fighting Inhumane Gambling and High-Risk Trafficking (FIGHT) Act (H.R. 2742) to crack down on illegal dogfighting and cockfighting; the Save America’s Forgotten Equines (SAFE) Act (H.R. 3475) to end the slaughter of horses for human consumption; and the Animal Cruelty Enforcement (ACE) Act (H.R. 8923), to establish a dedicated division within the U.S. Department of Justice to investigate and prosecute felony animal cruelty crimes.
“Animal Wellness Action urges voters in the 5th congressional district of Illinois who care about animal welfare and who abhor animal cruelty to back Rep. Quigley this fall,” Pacelle said.
The full endorsement letter for Rep. Quigley may be viewed here.