Tenure: 115th–119th Congresses
Years of Service: 2017–Present
Brian Fitzpatrick has firmly established himself as the leading animal welfare advocate in the U.S. House of Representatives. At a time when relatively few Republicans have made animal welfare a sustained legislative priority, Fitzpatrick has consistently stood up and led on animal issues. He has often taken lonely votes within the GOP conference on issues where strong anti-animal-welfare trade associations drive other members of the Republican conference in the opposite direction. His record reflects not only steadfast support but a pattern of leadership across a broad spectrum of issues, including combating animal cruelty, ending wildlife trafficking, strengthening protections for companion animals, modernizing biomedical research, improving farm-animal welfare, and conserving imperiled wildlife.
Unlike many lawmakers who simply cosponsor legislation, Fitzpatrick has repeatedly taken the lead in advancing humane policies. He is the lead sponsor of the Kangaroo Protection Act, legislation to end the commercial trade in products made from kangaroos; the Prevent All Soring Tactics (PAST) Act, to stop trainers and owners of Tennessee Walking horses from injuring their feet and lower forelimbs; the Puppy Protection Act to combat the abuses inherent in puppy mill operations; and the Captive Primate Safety Act, which his older brother led when he previously occupied the seat for the First Congressional District of Pennsylvania.
The younger Fitzpatrick brother has also been an original cosponsor of a raft of other bills, including the FIGHT Act, the Animal Cruelty Enforcement (ACE) Act, the FBI Animal Cruelty Task Force Act, the Greyhound Protection Act, the SAFE Act, FDA Modernization Act 3.0, the EGG SAVE Act, the Snowmobiles Aren’t Weapons (SAW) Act, the Bear Poaching Elimination Act, the No Flight No Fight Act (to halt commercial airline transport of fighting birds), and others. He has also been an active participant in efforts through the appropriations process to defund horse slaughter operations in the U.S., to secure funding for animal-fighting enforcement, to devote $11 million annually for fertility control applications on wild horses as an alternative to dangerous and inhumane round-ups.
Fitzpatrick has also been a fierce defender of state laws, such as Prop 12 in California and Question 3 in Massachusetts. He’s opposed efforts by members of his political party to federally preempt these immensely popular anti-farm-animal-confinement measures, approved by voters in landslide elections. He’s also taken on the Trump Administration’s Interior Department in working to stop the spending of $1.35 billion to shoot 450,000 North American barred owls in California, Oregon, and Washington.
Fitzpatrick’s leadership is especially notable because he has repeatedly demonstrated a willingness to stand apart from his own party when animal protection is at stake. He opposed legislation to strip Endangered Species Act protections from gray wolves, voted against efforts to prevent federal agencies from addressing the well-documented dangers of toxic lead ammunition, rejected attempts to weaken protections for racing greyhounds, and opposed the House Farm Bill because it included provisions to overturn state laws protecting farm animals. These votes reflect an independent willingness to place sound science, humane values, and responsible conservation above partisan politics.
He’s played a major role in getting key legislation over the finish line, including the Prevent Animal Cruelty and Torture (PACT) Act, the Big Cat Public Safety Act, the Parity in Animal Cruelty Enforcement (PACE) Act (extending all animal fighting prohibitions to the U.S. territories), the FDA Modernization Act 2.0, and just about every bill since he started his congressional service, taking over the seat previously held by his older brother, who did not seek reelection in 2016 and passed away from cancer in 2020. There’s not been a major policy issue during his entire career where he’s stood on the wrong side of the animal protection debate.
Brian Fitzpatrick has earned a reputation as one of the most dependable Republican voices for animals in Congress. Through sustained leadership, principled independence, and a willingness to build coalitions across party lines, he has helped move animal protection from a niche concern to a mainstream bipartisan issue. Among House Republicans, few members can match the breadth, consistency, and impact of his record on behalf of animals.
Notable Actions
119th Congress
✅ Cosponsor of the Save America’s Forgotten Equines (SAFE) Act, H.R. 1661, to ban U.S.-based horse slaughter and the export of horses for slaughter for human consumption.
✅ Cosponsor of the Fighting Inhumane Gambling and High-Risk Trafficking (FIGHT) Act, H.R. 3946, to strengthen federal enforcement against animal fighting and related criminal activity.
✅ Cosponsor of the No Flight, No Fight Act, H.R. 7371, to stop the smuggling of fighting birds via commercial airlines—an illicit practice that has gone largely unenforced since Congress prohibited the interstate and foreign transport of fighting birds in 2002.
✅ Cosponsor of the Animal Cruelty Enforcement (ACE) Act, H.R. 1477, to establish a dedicated DOJ unit to investigate and prosecute animal cruelty crimes.
✅ Cosponsor of the FBI Animal Cruelty Task Force (FBI ACT) Act, H.R. 3683, to establish an Animal Cruelty Crimes Task Force within the Federal Bureau of Investigation to investigate and enforce federal animal cruelty laws, including those involving dogfighting, cockfighting, crush videos, and related offenses.
✅ Cosponsor of the Greyhound Protection Act, H.R. 5017, to phase out U.S. greyhound racing, a practice long in decline and operational at just two tracks.
✅ Cosponsor of the FDA Modernization Act 3.0, H.R. 2821, to direct the FDA to update its regulations consistent with a law passed by Congress in 2022 that made animal testing optional in new drug development.
✅ Cosponsor of the Stop Billion-Dollar FWS Plan to Kill Half a Million Owls, H.J. Res. 111, a Congressional Review Act resolution to nullify the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service plan to kill approximately 450,000 barred owls to reduce competition with northern spotted owls.
✅ Cosponsor of the Kangaroo Protection Act, H.R. 1992, to stop the U.S. sale of commercial products made with kangaroo skins and other kangaroo parts.
✅ Cosponsor of the EGG SAVE Act, H.R. 5776, to modernize egg production by accelerating the voluntary adoption of in-ovo sexing technology to end the wasteful and inhumane culling of male chicks in hatcheries.
✅ Cosponsor of the Snowmobiles Aren’t Weapons (SAW) Act, H.R. 6864, to prohibit any person from intentionally using a motor vehicle to run over or kill wolves and other mammals on federal lands.
✅ Cosponsor of Violet’s Law, H.R. 3246, to provide a second chance for dogs, cats, rabbits, guinea pigs, hamsters, and nonhuman primates used in federally funded research by requiring facilities to pursue adoption or sanctuary placement whenever feasible. The measure was later incorporated into the House-passed Farm, Food, and National Security Act.
✅ Cosponsor of the Prevent All Soring Tactics (PAST) Act, H.R. 1684, to strengthen enforcement against the cruel practice of soring horses. The bill would ban devices associated with soring, require independent USDA-trained inspectors, increase penalties for violations, and strengthen the Horse Protection Act to better protect Tennessee Walking Horses and other affected breeds from intentional abuse.
✅ Cosponsor of the Puppy Protection Act, H.R. 2253, bipartisan legislation to strengthen federal standards of care for dogs kept by commercial breeders by improving requirements for housing, veterinary care, exercise, socialization, and humane breeding practices.
✅ Cosponsor of the Better CARE for Animals Act, H.R. 3112, to strengthen enforcement of the Animal Welfare Act by expanding federal authority to investigate and prosecute animal cruelty violations and improve coordination between the U.S. Department of Agriculture and the Department of Justice.
✅ Cosponsor of the Captive Primate Safety Act, H.R. 3199, to prohibit the private ownership, breeding, sale, transport, and other commercial activities involving nonhuman primates by amending the Lacey Act, while exempting accredited zoos, sanctuaries, research facilities, and certain other qualified entities. The legislation is designed to protect both public safety and the welfare of highly intelligent primates by ending the commercial pet trade in these animals.
✅ Cosponsor of Goldie’s Act, H.R. 349, bipartisan legislation to strengthen enforcement of the Animal Welfare Act by requiring more frequent inspections, faster reporting of violations, and improved protections for animals suffering abuse or neglect.
✅ Signed the bipartisan congressional letter opposing the large-scale killing of barred owls.
✅ Signed a congressional letter opposing the EATS/SOB Act that would erode states’ rights, undermine family farmers, and expand foreign influence over U.S. food production.
✅ Signed a congressional letter to President Donald J. Trump urging him to permanently prohibit the export of American horses to Mexico for slaughter.
✅ Supported House passage of the FDA Modernization Act 3.0, H.R. 2821, which passed by voice vote under suspension of the rules on July 20, 2026. The bipartisan legislation directs the FDA to update its regulations to fully implement the 2022 law allowing scientifically valid non-animal methods to be used instead of animal testing in drug development.
✅ Voted “Nay” on H.R. 556, the Protecting Access for Hunters and Anglers Act (House Roll Call Vote 93), to prohibit federal land management agencies from restricting the use of toxic lead ammunition and fishing tackle on public lands and waters to protect wildlife from poisoning. The bill passed the House 215–202. A “Nay” vote is the pro-animal vote.
✅ Voted “Nay” on H.R. 845, the Pet and Livestock Protection Act (House Roll Call Vote 360), to remove 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. A “Nay” vote is the pro-animal position.
✅ Voted “Nay” on the Riley Moore Amendment to H.R. 7567 (House Roll Call Vote 149), to weaken the Farm Bill’s Greyhound Protection Act provisions by creating a special exemption allowing commercial greyhound racing to continue in West Virginia indefinitely. The House rejected the amendment 187–237. A “Nay” vote is the pro-animal position.
✅ Voted “Nay” on H.R. 7567, the Farm, Food, and National Security Act (House Roll Call Vote 154), to pass the Farm Bill, which included a provision to overturn state laws in California and Massachusetts restricting in-state sales of fresh pork sourced from farms that do not provide minimum space requirements for the housing of pregnant pigs. The bill passed the House 224–200. A “Nay” vote is the pro-animal position.
✅ Voted “Nay” on the Biggs Amendment to H.R. 3838 (House Roll Call Vote 259), to exempt defense-related activities from the requirements of the Endangered Species Act, eliminating protections for endangered and threatened species and their critical habitat on military lands and during defense operations. The House rejected the amendment 200–228. A “Nay” vote is the pro-animal position.
✅ Voted “Nay” on the Greene Amendment to H.R. 3838 (House Roll Call Vote 254), to prohibit the Department of Defense from using FY2026 funds for the research, development, procurement, or promotion of cell-cultured meat, an emerging alternative to conventional slaughter-based meat production. The House rejected the amendment 194–236, with 1 voting present. A “Nay” vote is the pro-animal position.
118th Congress
✅ Cosponsor of the Fighting Inhumane Gambling and High-Risk Trafficking (FIGHT) Act, H.R. 2742, to strengthen federal enforcement against animal fighting and related criminal activity.
✅ Cosponsor of the Save America’s Forgotten Equines (SAFE) Act, H.R. 3475, to ban U.S.-based horse slaughter and the export of horses for slaughter for human consumption.
✅ Cosponsor of the Snowmobiles Aren’t Weapons (SAW) Act, H.R. 9568, to prohibit any person from intentionally using a motor vehicle to run over or kill wolves and other mammals on federal lands.
✅ Cosponsor of Greyhound Protection Act, H.R. 3894, to phase out U.S. greyhound racing, a practice long in decline and operational at just two tracks.
✅ Cosponsor of the FDA Modernization Act 3.0, H.R. 7248, to direct the FDA to update its regulations consistent with a law passed by Congress in 2022 that made animal testing optional in new drug development.
✅ Cosponsor of the Bear Protection Act, H.R. 3518, to prohibit the import, export, and sale of bear viscera. The bill addresses the cruel confinement of thousands of bears in Asia for the extraction of bile from their gallbladders for use in traditional medicine and cosmetics, while also combating the illegal poaching of American bears for their viscera, which threatens bear populations and fuels an inhumane black market.
✅ Cosponsor of the Kangaroo Protection Act, H.R. 4995, to stop the U.S. sale of commercial products made with kangaroo skins and other kangaroo parts.
✅ Cosponsor of MINKS Are Superspreaders Act, H.R. 7670, to end mink farming in the U.S.
✅ Cosponsor of Violet’s Law, H.R. 1465, to provide a second chance for dogs, cats, rabbits, guinea pigs, hamsters, and nonhuman primates used in federally funded research by requiring facilities to pursue adoption or sanctuary placement whenever feasible.
✅ Cosponsor of Goldie’s Act, H.R. 1788, bipartisan legislation to strengthen enforcement of the Animal Welfare Act by requiring more frequent inspections, faster reporting of violations, and improved protections for animals suffering abuse or neglect.
✅ Cosponsor of the Puppy Protection Act, H.R. 1624, bipartisan legislation to strengthen federal standards of care for dogs kept by commercial breeders by improving requirements for housing, veterinary care, exercise, socialization, and humane breeding practices.
✅ Cosponsor of the Prevent All Soring Tactics (PAST) Act, H.R. 3090, bipartisan legislation to strengthen enforcement against the cruel practice of soring horses. The bill would ban devices associated with soring, require independent USDA-trained inspectors, increase penalties for violations, and strengthen the Horse Protection Act to better protect Tennessee Walking Horses and other affected breeds from intentional abuse.
✅ Cosponsor of the Better CARE for Animals Act, H.R. 5041, to strengthen enforcement of the Animal Welfare Act by expanding federal authority to investigate and prosecute animal cruelty violations and improve coordination between the U.S. Department of Agriculture and the Department of Justice.
✅ Cosponsor of the Captive Primate Safety Act, H.R. 8164, to prohibit the private ownership, breeding, sale, transport, and other commercial activities involving nonhuman primates by amending the Lacey Act, while exempting accredited zoos, sanctuaries, research facilities, and certain other qualified entities. The legislation is designed to protect both public safety and the welfare of highly intelligent primates by ending the commercial pet trade in these animals.
✅ Signed a bipartisan letter opposing the Ending Agricultural Trade Suppression (EATS) Act, H.R. 4417. The lawmakers warned that the bill would nullify state agriculture and animal-welfare laws, including California’s Prop 12 and Massachusetts’ Question 3, and could broadly undermine more than 1,000 state laws while targeting modest consumer demand for more humanely raised pork.
✅ Voted “Nay” on H.R. 764 (House Roll Call Vote 169), legislation to remove federal protections for gray wolves under the Endangered Species Act across most of the United States and return management authority to the states. Wildlife advocates warned that the bill would undermine science-based wildlife management and threaten the long-term recovery of gray wolf populations. The House passed the bill 209–205. A “Nay” vote is the pro-animal position.
✅ Voted “Nay” on H.R. 615 (House Roll Call Vote 167), legislation to bar the Department of the Interior and the Department of Agriculture from prohibiting or regulating the use of toxic lead ammunition and fishing tackle on federal lands and waters made available for hunting or fishing. Lead ammunition and tackle poison wildlife, including eagles, loons, condors, and other animals that ingest spent lead fragments or lost fishing gear. The House passed the bill 214–201. A “Nay” vote is the pro-animal position.
117th Congress
✅ Cosponsor of the Save America’s Forgotten Equines (SAFE) Act, H.R. 3355, to ban U.S.-based horse slaughter and the export of horses for slaughter for human consumption.
✅ Cosponsor of the FDA Modernization Act, H.R. 2565, bipartisan legislation to end the outdated federal presumption that new drugs must rely on animal testing before human clinical trials. The measure authorized the FDA to accept scientifically valid non-animal testing methods—including organ-on-a-chip technology, cell-based assays, and computer modeling—when appropriate. Core provisions of this legislation were later enacted as part of the FDA Modernization Act 2.0, signed into law in December 2022, marking a landmark reform that advanced more human-relevant research methods while reducing unnecessary animal testing.
✅ Cosponsor of the Prevent All Soring Tactics (PAST) Act, H.R. 5441, to strengthen enforcement of the Horse Protection Act and help end the cruel practice of “soring” Tennessee Walking Horses, Racking Horses, and Spotted Saddle Horses. Soring involves intentionally inflicting severe pain on horses’ legs and hooves through caustic chemicals, chains, pressure devices, or other abusive methods to force an exaggerated, high-stepping gait known as the “Big Lick.”
✅ Cosponsor of the Bear Protection Act, H.R. 2325, to prohibit the import, export, and interstate commercial trade in bear gallbladders, bile, and other bear viscera, helping reduce the global market that fuels poaching and the cruel exploitation of bears for traditional medicine.
✅ Cosponsor of the Shark Fin Sales Elimination Act, H.R. 2811, to end the U.S. commercial trade in shark fins by prohibiting their sale, purchase, and transport, helping reduce the global demand that drives the cruel practice of shark finning. Core provisions of the bill were later incorporated into the James M. Inhofe National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2023, which was signed into law in December 2022, making the United States one of the world’s largest nations to ban the domestic shark fin trade.
✅ Cosponsor of the Animal Freedom from Testing, Experiments, and Research (AFTER) Act, H.R. 5244, to provide a second chance for dogs, cats, rabbits, guinea pigs, hamsters, and nonhuman primates used in federally funded research by requiring facilities to pursue adoption or sanctuary placement whenever feasible.
✅ Cosponsor of the Puppy Protection Act, H.R. 2840, bipartisan legislation to strengthen federal standards of care for dogs kept by commercial breeders by improving requirements for housing, veterinary care, exercise, socialization, and humane breeding practices.
✅ Cosponsor of the Captive Primate Safety Act, H.R. 3135, to prohibit the private ownership, breeding, sale, transport, and other commercial activities involving nonhuman primates by amending the Lacey Act, while exempting accredited zoos, sanctuaries, research facilities, and certain other qualified entities. The legislation is designed to protect both public safety and the welfare of highly intelligent primates by ending the commercial pet trade in these animals.
✅ Voted “Aye” on the motion to suspend the rules and pass the Prevent All Soring Tactics (PAST) Act, H.R. 5441 (House Roll Call Vote 478). The bill would strengthen enforcement of the Horse Protection Act and help end the cruel practice of “soring” Tennessee Walking Horses, Racking Horses, and Spotted Saddle Horses. Soring involves intentionally inflicting severe pain on horses’ legs and hooves through caustic chemicals, chains, pressure devices, or other abusive methods to force an exaggerated, high-stepping gait known as the “Big Lick.” The motion was agreed to by a vote of 304–111, exceeding the two-thirds majority required under the suspension of the rules procedure. An “Aye” vote is the pro-animal position.
✅ Voted “Aye” Big Cat Public Safety Act, H.R. 263 (House Roll Call Vote 415), to end the private possession and commercial breeding of lions, tigers, leopards, cheetahs, jaguars, cougars, and other big cats while prohibiting public contact with these animals. The legislation targeted the exploitative cub-petting industry and roadside zoos, where big cats are repeatedly bred, handled, and discarded, while strengthening protections for both animals and public safety. An “Aye” vote is the pro-animal position.
116th Congress
✅ Cosponsor of the Horseracing Integrity and Safety (HISA) Act, H.R. 1754, to improve the integrity and safety of horse racing in the United States by creating uniform national standards for anti-doping, medication control, and racetrack safety.
✅ Cosponsor of the Big Cat Public Safety Act, H.R. 1380, to prohibit private ownership and breeding of lions, tigers, and other big cats while restricting public contact with these dangerous wild animals. The bill was designed to curb the exploitation of big cats in roadside zoos and cub-petting operations, improve animal welfare, and enhance public safety by limiting private possession of these species.
✅ Voted “Aye” on the H.R. 1380 – Big Cat Public Safety Act (House Roll Call Vote 232), legislation to prohibit private ownership and breeding of lions, tigers, and other big cats while restricting public contact with these dangerous wild animals. The bill was designed to curb the exploitation of big cats in roadside zoos and cub-petting operations, improve animal welfare, and enhance public safety by limiting private possession of these species. The House passed the bill 272–114. An “Aye” vote is the pro-animal position.
✅ Voted “Aye” on the Stevens Amendment (House Roll Call Vote 373) to the FY2020 Commerce, Justice, Science, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act, allocating $2 million to create an Animal Cruelty section within the Department of Justice. An “Aye” vote is the pro-animal position because it supports stronger federal enforcement of existing animal protection laws.
✅ Voted “Aye” on the Buchanan Amendment (House Roll Call Vote 380) to the FY2020 Interior, Environment, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act, prohibiting the Department of the Interior from issuing import permits for trophies of threatened elephant and lions from Tanzania, Zambia, and Zimbabwe. An “Aye” vote is the pro-animal position because it supports stronger protections for threatened wildlife by restricting the import of hunting trophies.
115th Congress
✅ Cosponsor of the Dog and Cat Meat Trade Prohibition Act, H.R. 1406, bipartisan legislation to prohibit the slaughter of dogs and cats for human consumption and ban the sale, transport, possession, and trade of dogs, cats, and their parts for that purpose. The bill established federal criminal penalties to ensure the United States maintains a clear prohibition on the dog and cat meat trade.
✅ Cosponsor of the Humane Cosmetics Act, H.R. 2790, bipartisan legislation to phase out animal testing for cosmetics and prohibit the sale of cosmetics developed or manufactured using new animal testing. The bill encouraged the use of modern, non-animal testing methods while helping align U.S. policy with the growing international movement to end cosmetic testing on animals.
✅ Cosponsor of the Prevent All Soring Tactics (PAST) Act, H.R. 1847, to strengthen enforcement of the Horse Protection Act and help end the cruel practice of “soring” Tennessee Walking Horses, Racking Horses, and Spotted Saddle Horses. Soring involves intentionally inflicting severe pain on horses’ legs and hooves through caustic chemicals, chains, pressure devices, or other abusive methods to force an exaggerated, high-stepping gait known as the “Big Lick.”
✅ Voted “Nay” on H.J. Res. 69, a Congressional Review Act resolution (House Roll Call Vote 98) to overturn an Obama administration rule protecting wildlife on National Wildlife Refuges in Alaska. The rule prohibited inhumane predator-control practices, including killing bear cubs and wolf pups in their dens, baiting bears with food to shoot them at close range, and aerial shooting of wolves and other predators. The resolution passed Congress and was signed into law, eliminating these federal wildlife protections. A “Nay” vote is the pro-animal position because it sought to preserve safeguards against some of the cruelest and most unsporting predator-killing practices on federal refuge lands.
✅ Voted “Aye” on the Roskam–Blumenauer Amendment (House Roll Call Vote 202), to H.R. 2, the Agriculture and Nutrition Act of 2018, to strengthen the federal animal fighting law by clarifying that its prohibitions apply throughout all U.S. territories. The amendment closed a legal loophole that had allowed organized dogfighting and cockfighting to continue in certain U.S. territories despite being illegal elsewhere in the United States. An “Aye” vote is the pro-animal position because it strengthened federal protections against organized animal fighting.