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 Jim Costa for re-election in the race for California’s 21st congressional district.
The group lauded his leadership on numerous animal welfare issues, especially his efforts in past Farm Bills to combat the criminal scourges of dogfighting and cockfighting and to allow states to set reasonable standards for the humane treatment of farm animals.
“Jim Costa is an important leader on agriculture policy in the U.S., and he knows that animal welfare must be considered in moving policies ahead,” said Wayne Pacelle, president of Animal Wellness Action. “He opposed efforts to weaken California’s landmark farm animal welfare laws, because it’s good for animals and good for the farmers who have invested in more humane housing standards.”
As a senior member of the Agriculture Committee, Rep. Costa was a key leader of a congressional letter opposing the Ending Agricultural Trade Suppression (EATS) Act (H.R. 4417). That bill, promoted by the Republican Agriculture Committee chairman, would federally overturn certain state laws to shield farm animals from extreme confinement, including California’s Proposition 12, which voters passed in a landslide in 2018. A top priority for domestic and foreign-owned factory farm operators including the Chinese-owned Smithfield Foods, the EATS Act would threaten the livelihoods of California farmers, who have collectively invested hundreds of millions of dollars in state-of-the-art humane housing systems.
Pacelle also commended Costa as a supporter of horse welfare policies, noting his support of federal efforts to end horse slaughter for human consumption, which California voters overwhelmingly chose to ban in a 1998 ballot measure.
“We urge voters in the 21st congressional district of California to back Rep. Costa this fall,” Pacelle said.
The full endorsement letter for Rep. Costa may be viewed here.