Press Release

Rep. Chris Smith Wins Endorsement from Animal Wellness Action in Re-Election Campaign

Washington, D.C. – Animal Wellness Action announced its endorsement of U.S. Rep. Chris Smith in his re-election effort for the 4th Congressional District of New Jersey.  With a nearly flawless career-record on voting on animal welfare issues on the House floor, Rep. Smith has been one of the leading advocates for the cause of fighting cruelty in the Congress.

“As one of the most senior members of Congress, Chris Smith has never wavered in supporting animal welfare policies of every type,” said Wayne Pacelle, president of Animal Wellness Action. “He’s working to establish new animal protection legal standards and also to work hard to see that our nation’s anti-cruelty laws are enforced.”  Rep. Smith has long led efforts to secure funding for enforcement of our federal laws, including laws against animal fighting, horse soring, and puppy mills.

He has been a supporter of a wide range of other reforms.  

  • Reducing Animal Testing. He is a cosponsor of the FDA Modernization Act to stop needless, costly, and inhumane animal testing. The measure would end an animal testing mandate for all new drug development protocols and allow for alternative methods when validated, helping reduce drug costs and time to market for palliatives and cures. That legislation is poised to pass this Congress.
  • Halting Shark Fin Sales. The Congressman cosponsored the Shark Fin Sales Elimination Act to ban the trade in the fins of sharks destined for soup pots. Both forms of wildlife trade involve killing an animal for one small body part for commercial trade.
  • Stopping Horse Soring. He is an original cosponsor of the Prevent All Soring Tactics (PAST) Act and voted in support of the measure in July of 2019 that would end one of the most egregious abuses in the equine show world, the painful practice of ‘soring’ Tennessee Walking Horses. 
  • Halting Horse Slaughter. Smith is a cosponsor of the Save America’s Forgotten Equines (SAFE) Act that would permanently end the slaughter of equines on U.S. soil, and the transport of equines over state and federal lines for that purpose.  
  • Cracking Down on Puppy Mills. Rep. Smith has long fought against puppy mills, and he is a cosponsor of the Puppy Protection Act to establish more humane housing standards for dogs kept on commercial breeding operations.

“We applaud Rep. Smith for his decades of work to protect animals and hope the good people of the 4th Congressional District will send him back to Washington, D.C. for another term to help both humans and animals alike,” added Marty Irby, executive director at Animal Wellness Action. 

Animal Wellness Action is a Washington, D.C.-based 501(c)(4) whose mission is to help animals by promoting laws and regulations at federal, state and local levels that forbid cruelty to all animals. The group also works to enforce existing anti-cruelty and wildlife protection laws. Animal Wellness Action believes helping animals helps us all. Twitter: @AWAction_News