Tenure: 119th Congress
Years of Service: 2025–Present
Rep. Laura Friedman arrived in Congress with a reputation as a legislator deeply engaged on environmental, public-health, and consumer protection issues. During her first term in the House, she has quickly established herself as a strong ally on animal protection matters as well, supporting major anti-cruelty legislation, horse protection measures, and efforts to preserve state animal welfare laws. While her congressional record is still developing, her early actions demonstrate a clear willingness to engage on behalf of animals across multiple issue areas.
One of the most notable aspects of Friedman’s record is her support for legislation aimed at combating animal cruelty. She is a cosponsor of the Animal Cruelty Enforcement (ACE) Act of 2025, legislation designed to strengthen federal enforcement against serious acts of animal cruelty. She is also a cosponsor of the FIGHT Act, which would bolster federal efforts to combat animal fighting operations and related criminal enterprises. Together, these bills reflect support for stronger enforcement tools against some of the most severe forms of animal abuse.
Friedman has also been an active supporter of horse protection initiatives. She is a cosponsor of the SAFE Act (Safeguard American Food Exports Act), legislation that would permanently prohibit the slaughter of American horses for human consumption and ban the export of horses for slaughter abroad. In addition, she supported efforts to include anti-horse slaughter language in federal transportation legislation, helping advance one of the animal protection movement’s most enduring priorities. Her support for horse welfare issues predates her congressional service and reflects a sustained commitment to ending the horse slaughter pipeline.
On farm-animal welfare, Friedman signed the Democratic congressional letter opposing the Save Our Bacon Act. The legislation sought to undermine state animal welfare laws such as California’s Proposition 12 by limiting the ability of states to establish humane standards for agricultural products sold within their borders. By opposing the proposal, Friedman aligned herself with efforts to preserve state animal welfare protections and defend voter-approved humane treatment standards.
Her voting record on major animal protection issues has generally been strong. Friedman voted against H.R. 845, the Pet and Livestock Protection Act, preserving federal Endangered Species Act protections for gray wolves. She also voted against H.R. 556, the Protecting Access for Hunters and Anglers Act, preserving federal authority to regulate lead ammunition and lead fishing tackle on federal lands and waters. These votes reflected support for wildlife conservation and efforts to reduce preventable wildlife mortality.
She likewise voted against the Moore Amendment, which sought to create an exemption from the federal prohibition on commercial greyhound racing. Her vote supported maintaining federal protections that have helped bring commercial greyhound racing to an end across much of the country.
One notable exception to Friedman’s otherwise favorable voting record came on the Greene Amendment, which sought to prohibit federal support for cultivated meat and related technologies. Friedman voted in favor of the amendment, seemingly positioning her against a promising avenue for reducing reliance on conventional animal agriculture and decreasing the number of animals raised and slaughtered for food. The vote stands out as an unusual departure from the broader pattern of her record.
Friedman nevertheless voted against the Farm, Food, and National Security Act, which included provisions that would have preempted state farm-animal welfare laws such as California’s Proposition 12 and Massachusetts’ Question 3. That vote reinforced her opposition to Save Our Bacon-style preemption efforts and reflected support for preserving state authority to establish humane standards.
What makes Friedman’s record particularly noteworthy is the breadth of her early engagement. Many freshman lawmakers build favorable records primarily through voting, but Friedman has already aligned herself with major anti-cruelty legislation, horse protection efforts, and farm-animal welfare initiatives. At the same time, her vote for the Greene Amendment illustrates that her record is not uniformly aligned with every animal protection priority, adding an element of complexity to her overall profile.
Taken as a whole, Friedman’s record places her in the Strong Leader category. Her support for the ACE Act, FIGHT Act, SAFE Act, opposition to Save Our Bacon, and generally favorable voting record demonstrate a meaningful commitment to animal protection. While the Greene Amendment vote prevents placement among the delegation’s strongest champions, she has nevertheless emerged as one of the more engaged freshman lawmakers on animal welfare issues.
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 Animal Cruelty Enforcement (ACE) Act, H.R. 1477, to establish a dedicated DOJ unit to investigate and prosecute animal cruelty crimes.
✅ 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.
✅ Signed congressional letter opposing the SOB Act that would erode states’ rights, undermine family farmers, and expand foreign influence over U.S. food production.
✅ Voted “Aye” on the Van Drew–Titus Amendment (Recorded Vote No. 98-pg. 46) to H.R. 8870 (Transportation and Infrastructure Committee Vote), to incorporate key provisions of the Save America’s Forgotten Equines (SAFE) Act into the Build America 250 Act. The bipartisan amendment would permanently prohibit the export of American horses to Canada, Mexico, or other countries for slaughter for human consumption and ban the use of dangerous double-decker trailers to transport horses. The amendment was adopted by a 34–30 vote. An “Aye” vote is the pro-animal position because it advanced legislation to end the slaughter pipeline for American horses.
✅ 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.