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2023-2024 Federal Policy Questionnaire

Help us help animals by promoting legal standards forbidding cruelty. We believe helping animals helps us all.

Animals have always been at the center of the human experience, and never more so than now. Pets live in our homes, wild animals inhabit our communities, and animals are used in a wide variety of major industries, from food and agriculture to science and testing to a variety of forms of entertainment.

Long-standing forms of animal exploitation are falling out of favor, and that process has been accelerated by innovations that allow us to eat well, conduct rigorous science, and solve human-wildlife conflicts without sacrificing the quality of our lives or compromising the workings of business or government.

Animal Wellness Action believes in enshrining humane treatment standards in the law to shield animals from cruelty and to accelerate the shift toward business and government practices that are respectful toward animals. With meaningful government and private standards that provide a framework for animal care and human conduct, businesses can thrive and prosper, generating wealth and meeting the needs of people without sacrificing the well-being of animals in the process.

In every recent Congress, lawmakers of both parties introduced a wide range of bills to improve the lives of animals. There are also some worthy policy concepts that have not yet taken the form of legislation. We have identified a set of issues below and explain them in brief and ask that you indicate whether you generally support the legislation. We realize that there may be amendments to current bills or pertinent information that comes to light that would require additional examination of these issues. 

Fields marked with an * are required

Fields marked with an * are required.

CRUELTY TO ANIMALS AND COMPANION ANIMALS

Puppy Mills:

There are millions of healthy and adoptable dogs looking for homes, yet a national puppy mill industry continues to operate without sufficient federal controls, flooding our communities with dogs and mistreating the animals, particularly the breeding females who are kept in small cages they can barely turn around in for years as they are repeatedly bred. Will you support the Puppy Protection Act, H.R. 1624, to upgrade standards of care for dogs (e.g., forbidding the stacking of cages and allowing the animals some occasional outdoor access and requiring some level of regular socialization and veterinary care)?

Animal Cruelty Crimes:

Previous Congresses has enacted a series of federal anti-cruelty measures, including a national anti-cruelty law and a ban on animal fighting throughout the United States, but now these laws must be enforced. The ACE Act would authorize the creation of a dedicated Animal Cruelty Crimes section at DOJ would allow for robust and effective enforcement of these crimes by designating personnel focused on these issues. DOJ already has dedicated sections on other important societal concerns, such as environmental protection, wildlife, and organized crime. Will you support efforts to have a small section at the Department of Justice focused on enforcing our federal laws against animal cruelty?

Greyhound Protection Act:

Commercial dog racing is occurring in just a handful of states, with the last track in Alabama shutting down in April 2020 and Texas ceasing operations a month later. The closure of racing in those states came just months after Arkansas’s last track announced it would phase out operations in 2022. In the 2018 general election, Florida voters adopted a greyhound racing ban by an overwhelming margin, with that measure taking final effect in December 2020. Dogs spend up to 23 hours a day in extreme confinement where they can barely turn around, according to GREY2K USA Worldwide. The federal government has authority on this subject because dogs are bred and transported across state lines for racing and races are broadcast to numerous states for simulcast gambling. H.R. 3894, the Greyhound Protection Act, bans live racing, simulcasting of racing, and outlaws the use of animals as live lures. Will you support ending this cruel activity?

Enhancing Enforcement for Animal Fighting:

The Fighting Inhumane Gambling and High-Risk Trafficking (FIGHT) Act, H.R. 2742/S. 1529, would strengthen our long-standing federal laws against dogfighting and cockfighting. The legislation seeks to enhance enforcement capacity so that these widespread illegal animal fighting activities can be curtailed. Specifically the legislation would halt the transport of mature roosters through the U.S. mail; ban simulcasting and gambling on animal fights in the United States, no matter where the fights and the broadcast signals originate; enhance forfeiture provisions to include real property used in the commission of an animal fighting crime; and create a citizen suit provision to allow private right of action against illegal animal fighters to ease the resource burden on federal agencies No animal should be subjected to the threat of grievous injury and death merely for the sake of human entertainment. Will you support the FIGHT Act which would amend Section 26 of the Animal Welfare Act to enhance enforcement capacity for animal fighting?

EQUINE PROTECTION

Horse Slaughter for Human Consumption:

Americans do not eat horses, but thousands of American horses are shipped to North American horse slaughter plants in Canada and Mexico, after enduring miserable transportation conditions, for slaughter, sale, and then export for human consumption. The horse slaughter industry is a predatory, inhumane enterprise, with “kill buyers” frequently buying young and healthy horses, often misrepresenting their intentions, and killing them to sell the meat for foreign markets in Europe and Asia. Because horses are not raised for human consumption, they are often given drugs and medications throughout their lives that should not enter the food supply. Will you support the Save America’s Forgotten Equines (SAFE) Act, H.R. 3475/S. 2037, to ban exports of horses for slaughter in other countries, and prevent horse slaughter plants from reopening in the U.S.?

Managing Wild Horses and Burros:

Ignoring science and overwhelming public opinion, the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) has undertaken an aggressive depopulation campaign on our public lands to round up and remove tens of thousands of wild horses and burros from their designated habitat. The agency’s costs continue to mount as government holding facilities, already overcrowded, and plagued with disease, are filled with more animals. The agency perpetuates a misleading narrative of overpopulation, blaming 80,000 horses for overgrazing caused by millions of commercial livestock. On some designated wild horse management areas, cattle and sheep vastly outnumber wild horses. Yet, still, the agency insists on inhumane helicopter roundups and mass incarcerations for the sake of livestock grazing. A more humane and cost-effective approach involves on-range management that prioritizes wild horses on their designated habitats, restricts livestock grazing and, where appropriate, employs reversible PZP fertility control to limit herd growth. Will you support the Restore Our American Mustangs Act to ban helicopter roundups, recognize the rightful place of horses on habitat designated for them by the 1971 federal law protecting wild horses and burros, use more cost-effective and humane management of wild horses such as fertility control when necessary, and more?

FARM ANIMAL PROTECTION AND PUBLIC SAFETY

Phasing Out Extreme Confinement of Breeding Pigs in Pork Industry:

Pregnant pigs spend the bulk of their lifespan in “gestation crates” so restrictive they cannot lay down, turn around, or freely extend their limbs. Gestation crates immobilize the mother pig throughout her pregnancy. Due to increasing consumer awareness about gestation crates, almost every major food retailer in the United States — from McDonald’s to Costco to Aramark — has agreed to phase out all purchasing of pork from farms that confine female pigs in gestation crates, with most policies taking effect in 2022. Additionally, eleven states, including Arizona, Colorado, Florida, New Jersey, Ohio, and Oregon, have banned, or are phasing out the use of gestation crates. Voters have approved five of five state ballot measures forbidding their use by wide margins. Two states — California and Massachusetts — will forbid the sale of pork in their states if it comes from pigs confined in gestation crates. Would you support Pigs in Gestation Stalls (PIGS) Act, H.R. 2939, to phase out extreme confinement for pregnant pigs?

Ending Milk Mandates and Giving Kids Nutritional Choice in the Lunchroom:

Unlike the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC), which provides plant-based milk options for children ages 0-5, the National School Lunch Program contains a 1940s-era mandate that cartons of cows’ milk be placed on every student’s lunch and breakfast tray. But with between 70-95 percent of Black, Pacific Islander and Asian, Native American, and Latino students of all ages having a lactose sensitivity, the current “milk mandate” leads to a waste of food and tax dollars. According to USDA’s own statistics, almost 30 percent of milk cartons are thrown out unopened. The total volume of cow’s milk wasted in school cafeterias may be as high as 50 percent. Failing to provide a nutritious beverage option for these kids is unfair and undermines learning in our schools. The fix: Update the National School Lunch Program to reimburse local school districts to purchase a non-dairy beverage that meets the same dietary standards as cows’ milk. Will you support legislation that aligns the National School Lunch Program with the WIC Program by allowing schools to offer kids a nutritionally equivalent non-dairy beverage as part of the National School Lunch program?

Opposing A Legislative Maneuver to Nullify States’ Rights to Regulate Agricultural Commerce in Any Form:

Even though the Supreme Court of the United States declared that Prop 12 (restricting extreme confinement of pigs and laying hens and selling pork and eggs from animals kept in terrible conditions) was constitutional, some lawmakers in Congress want to overturn that law and similar laws that provide for humane treatment of animals and humane commerce. Their primary attack on states’ rights and animal welfare comes in the form of the Ending Agricultural Trade Suppression (EATS) Act, H.R. 4417/S. 2019, which would nullify Prop 12, a similar ballot measure in Massachusetts (Question 3), and a raft of other laws restricting sales of eggs from hens kept in extreme cage confinement. There’s no question that the EATS Act is an attempt to deregulate American agriculture, and its biggest beneficiary would be China, which already controls more than a quarter of U.S.-based pig production. China's has built 25-story high-rise factory farms in that nation to keep pigs in never-ending confinement, and if it succeeds in overturning U.S. farm animal welfare laws, it may try to build these high-rise factory farms in the U.S. through its U.S. proxy, Smithfield Foods.  The National Governors’ Association, the National Conference of State Legislators, the National Association of Counties, and the National League of Cities oppose the EATS Act. Will you oppose the EATS Act, H.R. 4417/S. 2019, and derivative measures that would prohibit States and local jurisdictions from passing laws regarding the production and distribution of agricultural products?

Commodity Checkoff

Congress authorized commodity checkoff programs to serve as funding mechanisms for commodity promotion and research. But major commodity trade organizations have repeatedly acted beyond the scope of the statutory mandate of the checkoff programs. Lax oversight by the USDA and trade industry opportunism has resulted in collusion between government and private industry. Checkoff funds are being used to fund private trade associations and influence legislation and government action despite a broad statutory prohibition against these activities. Many farmers, obligated to pay checkoff fees, feel like they are financing their own destruction, especially as the trade associations push anti-competitive practices. Will you support the Opportunities for Fairness in Farming Act, H.R. 1249/S. 557, to prohibit certain practices relating to commodity promotion programs and require greater transparency in those programs?

Ending Mink Farming and Buying Out the Remaining Struggling Farms:

MINKS are Super Spreaders Act, H.R. 3783, seeks to authorize USDA to conduct a buy-out of the remaining mink farms in the U.S. This buy-out assists farmers in an industry that has lost its market share in the U.S. and Europe and is in a downward spiral, with that circumstance made more dire by COVID-19 outbreaks at farms. Long a concern of animal welfare advocates because these semi-aquatic wild animals are maintained in cages in extreme confinement, the mink industry became a universal concern this year because the animals are highly suspectable to COVID-19 and mink farms could turn into super-spreader facilities. In April 2021, investigators, according to the CDC, found that mink from a Michigan farm and a small number of people were infected with SARS-CoV-2 that contained unique mink-related mutations. This suggests mink to human spread might have occurred. Would you support legislation to end mink farming?

WILDLIFE PROTECTION

Protecting Bears from Trade in Their Parts:

Trafficking bear gallbladders is similar to killing elephants for their tusks and rhinos for their horns: Poachers kill bears, even cubs, because the gallbladders are valuable and easily fetch prices exceeding $1,000 for use in traditional Chinese medicine. The trade is heavily centralized in China and South Korea, but as bear populations dwindled, poachers began targeting American bears where the population was still healthy. While forty states have laws to address this trade, these vary widely. The trade must be prohibited entirely to stop poaching of American bears for their gallbladders and to stop contributing to this cruelty globally. Will you support the Bear Protection Act to address the trafficking of bear gallbladders, by prohibiting the trade of bear viscera (gallbladders) in interstate or foreign commerce (it does not restrict legal bear hunting)?

Protecting Wildlife on Federal Lands from Intentional Harm from Mechanized Vehicles

Recently, the malicious running down and crushing of an adolescent female wolf in Wyoming has triggered worldwide condemnation by hunters and non-hunters alike. In this case, a man turned a snowmobile into a weapon. This sadistic act was not a one-off action. There is a small but discernible subculture of individuals who engage in a depraved act of running down, or “whacking,” wildlife in snow where the animals cannot escape the fast-moving snow machines. The Snowmobiles Aren’t Weapons (SAW) Act is modeled on a Minnesota law that has been in place since 1986 without any controversy or objections from ranchers, farmers, sportsmen, or other stakeholders in wolf and coyote policies. Minnesota has more wolves than any other state in the lower 48 and is a snowmobiling mecca, so the application of the law is an important practical example of its universal social acceptance. Will you support legislation that prohibits the use of ground-based motorized vehicles, such as snowmobiles, to intentionally maim or kill wildlife on federal lands?

Banning Lead Ammunition on Wildlife Refuge and Park Service Lands:

Lead ammunition left behind by hunters’ poisons millions of wild animals each year. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and the National Park Service have a statutory duty to act to protect and conserve wildlife on these lands, and in 2017, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service issued a Director’s Order to phase out the use of lead on these federal lands by 2022. However, the order was undone in 2017 by the new Interior Secretary without a critical examination of the policy change. Lead alternatives are readily available, and comparably priced copper and steel ammunition outperform lead and do not keep killing days, weeks, and months after leaving the gun. Would you support the LEAD Act, H.R. 5281, to phase out the use of lead ammunition and fishing tackle on national wildlife refuges and National Park Service lands?

Predator Killing on Refuges and Preserve:

The House and Senate, in spring 2017, invoked the Congressional Review Act and rescinded a U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service rule to prohibit cruel, controversial, and scientifically unjustified predator-killing methods, such as denning, baiting, and aerial gunning of wolves and bears, on over seventy-six million acres of federal lands in Alaska. The National Park Service has proposed to repeal a similar rule adopted in 2015 that applies to national preserves. This amounts to the gratuitous killing of apex predators on federal lands specifically designed for their protection. Alaska’s biggest industry is tourism, and so many people trek to the state to enjoy these lands and see wolves, grizzly bears, and other animals targeted by a small group of trophy hunters. Will you seek to restore these protections, either through future legislative action or, where it is permitted, new rulemaking actions by the appropriate agencies?

Poisoning of Wildlife by the Federal Government:

The USDA uses sodium cyanide and sodium fluoroacetate to kill predators, often on our public lands, often without any evidence that the targeted animals had been involved in any incidents with people or livestock. California and Washington banned these poisons, and Idaho and Oregon also restricted their use. M-44s are terribly cruel and indiscriminate, killing people’s pets and endangered species as well as the intended targets. The use of such highly lethal agents also poses homeland security risks. Will you support the use of poisons as a wildlife management tool?

Protecting Kangaroos from Mass Slaughter in the Wild:

Australian commercial hunters annually kill nearly two million kangaroos, including almost half a million joeys, to sell their parts all over the world. The Kangaroo Protection Act, H.R. 4995, prohibits importing or selling kangaroo parts in the U.S., including for athletic shoes. With the recent fires in Australia, which killed millions of kangaroos and hundreds of millions of other animals, it is time for a more precautionary approach to managing this species and implementing more robust protection efforts. Will you support H.R. 4995, the Kangaroo Protection Act, to close off the U.S. market for these products and tamp down on what is now the largest commercial slaughter of mammals in the world in their native habitats?

BIOGRAPHICAL INFORMATION
Thank you for your time.
Please either use the SUBMIT button below or return the completed questionnaire to: Desiree Bender at desiree@animalwellnessaction.org

The Animal Wellness Group sees a time when animal cruelty is no longer common or accepted. Where people use a combination of moral sensibility and problem solving to shed archaic practices and forge a relationship with animals grounded in respect and appreciation. We believe that helping animals helps us all by creating a more civil society where people, animals, and nature are living in balance.

Animal Wellness Action (AWA) is a Washington, D.C.-based 501(c)(4) organization with a mission to champion the enactment and enforcement of legal standards forbidding cruelty to companion animals, farm animals, and all other animals at risk so that we can prevent abuse before it happens. To enact good laws, we must elect good lawmakers, and that is why we remind voters which candidates care about our issues and which ones do not.