Bipartisan Van Drew–Titus amendment in Transportation and Infrastructure Committee would end export of American horses for slaughter and ban cruel double-decker transport
WASHINGTON, D.C. — Animal Wellness Action today hailed a major bipartisan victory for America’s horses after the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee approved an amendment to the Build America 250 Act, H.R. 8870, incorporating key provisions of the Save America’s Forgotten Equines (SAFE) Act to prohibit the export of American horses for slaughter for human consumption.
The Van Drew–Titus amendment passed the committee by a vote of 34–30, and H.R. 8870 now advances to the full House of Representatives. The amendment would also ban the use of dangerous double-decker trailers to transport horses.
“Horses have served us in battle, in policing, in sport, and in companionship, and it’s always been a betrayal for ‘kill buyers’ to gain possession of them and to facilitate butchering them for foreign diners in Japan,” said Wayne Pacelle, president of Animal Wellness Action and the Center for a Humane Economy. “Now it’s up to the U.S. Senate to follow the House’s lead and sweep the slaughter of America’s horses for human appetite into the dustbin of history.”
The amendment is consistent with the language of the SAFE Act, which has 230 bipartisan cosponsors in the House. Last year alone, about 25,000 American horses were shipped to slaughter plants in Canada and Mexico, often enduring grueling transport and inhumane slaughter conditions.
Animal Wellness Action applauded Reps. Jeff Van Drew, R-N.J., and Dina Titus, D-Nev., for leading the amendment effort in committee, while also recognizing longtime SAFE Act champion Rep. Vern Buchanan, R-Fla., for his years of leadership on the issue.
“Congressman Buchanan has been one of the leading champions in Congress for ending horse slaughter, and today’s committee vote reflects years of his leadership on this animal welfare priority,” Pacelle said. “He needed his friends Jeff Van Drew and Dina Titus to help carry the day in committee.”
“Protecting American horses from slaughter reflects our values as a nation, and I’m proud that my SAFE Act will finally end this inhumane practice permanently,” Buchanan said. “The SAFE Act moving through the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee today is an enormous victory, and I’m grateful for the support of advocates across the country who have helped make this a reality. But we’re not done yet—I will keep pushing forward to get the SAFE Act signed into law.”
The Van Drew–Titus amendment would:
- Close the export loophole allowing American horses to be shipped to Canada and Mexico for slaughter
- Ban the use of dangerous double-decker trailers for horse transport
- Prevent extreme cruelty associated with the horse slaughter pipeline
- Reinforce longstanding bipartisan congressional opposition to horse slaughter
For nearly 20 years, Congress has blocked horse slaughter operations from reopening domestically by prohibiting USDA funding for horse meat inspections. But kill buyers have continued exporting American horses abroad for slaughter, mainly to Mexico. Just last month, the Bouvry slaughter plant was shuttered in Alberta, leaving just one equine slaughterhouse in Canada.
Horse slaughter numbers have fallen dramatically in recent decades — from roughly 400,000 annually in 1990 to approximately 25,000 today — reflecting growing moral and practical distaste for the predatory, inhumane enterprise.
“Now is the time for all lawmakers in the House and Senate to hear the voice of the American people that horse slaughter must end,” Pacelle added.