PHILADELPHIA, PA – Today Animal Wellness Action announced its endorsement of U.S. Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick, R-PA-1st, because of his outstanding advocacy on animal welfare issues, including his efforts to crack down on puppy mills, to halt the trade in kangaroo skins for athletic shoes, and the abuse of big cats and primates for the pet trade.
“Congressman Brian Fitzpatrick is arguably the leading animal welfare advocate in the House, as lead author of multiple bills for animals and a fighter for the cause of halting animal cruelty” said Wayne Pacelle, president at Animal Wellness Action. “If you care about animals and you live in the First Congressional District, please cast your ballot for him.”
Fitzpatrick has been a leader on numerous animal protection measures in the U.S. House:
- Fitzpatrick is leading the Puppy Protection Act and WOOF Act that would help end puppy mill abuses that continue to run rampant in Pennsylvania.
- Fitzpatrick has long been a leader the Big Cat Public Safety Act that passed the House in July and would ban the private ownership of dangerous big cats as well as the practice of ‘cub petting’ that continues to fuel overbreeding and unfunded mandates on animal rescues. He also is co-lead of the Captive Primate Safety Act to halt the trade in primates as pets.
- Fitzpatrick is the co-lead of the Kangaroo Protection Act, which would ban the trade in kangaroo parts in the United States. Every year, close to 2 million kangaroos, including 400,000 joeys, are shot in the Outback at night in the largest commercial wildlife slaughter in the world. The skins are made into soccer cleats from Nike, Adidas, and other athletic shoe companies.
- Fitzpatrick led a letter to the CDC in 2021 to address a terrible policy implemented by the Biden Administration that banned the import of canines from 113 countries and has separated countless American heroes in the military, American citizens, and Diplomats from their pets.
- Fitzpatrick is one of the leaders of the Veterans for Mustangs Act that would help prevent countless American wild horses from being rounded up and incarcerated in mass holding facilities on the taxpayer’s dime. The legislation would enable our American heroes to administer birth control to wild horse and burro populations on federal lands.
- Fitzpatrick is one of the leaders of the Prevent All Soring Tactics (PAST) Act that would amend the 1970 Horse Protection Act to end the painful practice of soring – the intentional infliction of pain to Tennessee Walking Horses front limbs to induce an artificial pain-based gait known as the ‘Big Lick’ that’s prized at horse shows. The measure passed the House Energy and Commerce Committee in September.
Fitzpatrick has cosponsored and backed a broad range of other important reforms:
- Fitzpatrick is cosponsoring the FDA Modernization Act to stop needless, costly, and inhumane animal testing. The measure recently passed the U.S. Senate and would end animal testing mandates at the FDA by amending the 1938 statute – a Depression-era requirement for animal testing for all new drug development protocols, allow for alternative methods when validated, and help reduce drug costs and time to market for voters.
- Fitzpatrick joined as a cosponsor of the MINKS Are Superspreaders Act to end mink farming in the U.S. as mink have proven to be the number one superspreader of COVID besides humans and have already spawned at least one new variant in the U.S. •Fitzpatrick joined as an original cosponsor of the Greyhound Protection Act that would end the archaic practice of Greyhound racing in the U.S.
- Fitzpatrick joined a letter to the U.S. Postal Service Inspector calling on the Inspector to crackdown against illegal animal fighting shipments to Guam and other countries throughout the world. Dogfighting and cockfighting, are often bound up with illegal gambling, narcotics trafficking, and human-on-humane violence.
- Fitzpatrick cosponsored the Shark Fin Sales Elimination Act that would ban the trade in shark fins in the U.S.