Tenure: 117th–119th Congresses
Years of Service: 2021–Present
Notable Actions
119th Congress
✅ Cosponsor of FDA Modernization Act 3.0, S. 355, to direct FDA to publish a final rule to implement a law enacted in December 2022 that eliminated a Depression-era requirement for animal testing in the Federal Food, Drug and Cosmetic Act (21 USC § 355) and allows for innovative 21st-century human-relevant test methods where appropriate.
❌ Voted “Yea” on S.J. Res. 23 (Senate Roll Call Vote 122), a Congressional Review Act resolution to overturn federal regulations strengthening implementation of the Endangered Species Act, including protections governing the listing of imperiled species and designation of critical habitat. A “Yea” vote is the anti-animal position because it supported eliminating stronger protections for threatened and endangered wildlife and their habitat.
✅ Voted “Aye” on the motion to proceed to S.J. Res. 69 (Senate Roll Call Vote 597), a joint resolution under the Congressional Review Act to bring the measure before the Senate for consideration to overturn the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s Barred Owl Management Strategy, which authorized the large-scale killing of barred owls in Washington, Oregon, and California. An “Aye” vote is the pro-animal position because it supported moving forward with a vote to repeal the barred owl kill plan.
117th Congress
✅ Cosponsor of the FDA Modernization Act 2.0, S. 5002, bipartisan legislation led by Senators Rand Paul and Cory Booker to eliminate the federal animal-testing mandate for new drugs and allow FDA to accept modern, non-animal testing methods. The measure passed the Senate without dissent and was ultimately enacted as part of the FDA user-fee legislation, marking a major federal policy shift toward reducing the use of dogs, primates, and other animals in drug testing.
✅ Approved by unanimous consent, the Big Cat Public Safety Act, H.R. 263, to prohibit most private ownership and breeding of lions, tigers, and other big cats while restricting public contact with these dangerous wild animals. The law 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 “Yea” on Sen. Ron Johnson’s Motion to Instruct conferees on H.R. 4521 (Senate Roll Call Vote 152), which sought to reject a House-passed provision prohibiting commercial mink farming in the United States. A “Yea” vote is the anti-animal position because it supported removing the House provision to end commercial mink farming.