Classification: Mixed Record
Tenure: 115th – 119th Congresses

Rep. Andy Biggs has emerged as one of the more notable conservative voices in Congress on issues affecting agriculture, federalism, and state authority. While he has not built a broad legislative portfolio centered on animal protection, his record includes one significant intervention that set him apart from many House Republicans: opposition to the EATS Act and its inclusion in the Farm Bill.

In March 2024, Biggs joined a group of ten conservative House Republicans who publicly urged House Agriculture Committee leadership to exclude the EATS Act from the Farm Bill. The lawmakers argued that the proposal would override state laws governing the production and sale of agricultural products, undermine states’ rights, and benefit large foreign-owned agricultural interests at the expense of American farmers. Biggs’ participation in the effort placed him among a relatively small group of conservative Republicans willing to break with agricultural industry interests and defend state-level animal welfare laws.

That action stands out because Biggs generally approaches policy through a constitutional and limited-government framework rather than an animal-protection lens. His opposition to the EATS Act was rooted primarily in federalism concerns, but the practical effect of his position was to support the continued enforcement of state animal welfare standards that had already survived challenge before the U.S. Supreme Court.

At the same time, Biggs has not been a consistent sponsor or leader on major animal protection initiatives in Congress. Unlike lawmakers who regularly champion legislation involving animal testing reform, wildlife protection, companion-animal welfare, or farm-animal standards, Biggs’ engagement with these issues has been limited and episodic. His record is therefore defined less by proactive advocacy and more by selective intervention when animal-related policies intersect with broader constitutional or states’ rights concerns.

Overall, Biggs’ record reflects a lawmaker who is not deeply engaged in animal welfare policy but who has, at key moments, taken positions favorable to animal protection outcomes. His willingness to oppose the EATS Act when many agricultural interests were lobbying aggressively for its inclusion distinguishes him from many conservative colleagues and earns him a stronger rating than members who have consistently supported efforts to preempt state animal welfare laws.

Notable Actions and Cosponsorships

❌ Voted in favor of H.R. 845, the Pet and Livestock Protection Act, legislation that removed federal Endangered Species Act protections for gray wolves across much of the United States and restricted judicial review of future wolf-management decisions. The bill passed the House 211–204. This was a vote against wildlife conservation and endangered species protections.

❌ Voted in favor of H.R. 845, legislation removing Endangered Species Act protections for gray wolves.

➖ No vote recorded of the House Farm Bill, which included language to overturn certain state farm-animal confinement standards while excluding several animal-protection amendments.

➖ No vote recorded of the Moore Amendment (House Roll Call Vote 149), which sought to weaken the Farm Bill’s Greyhound Protection Act provisions by creating a special exemption allowing commercial greyhound racing to continue in West Virginia. The House rejected the amendment 237–178, preserving the national phaseout of greyhound racing and preventing a loophole that would have allowed