DALLAS, TX – Today, Animal Wellness Action announced its endorsement of U.S. Rep. Lance Gooden in his re-election effort for the 5th Congressional District of Texas.
“Lance Gooden understands that how we treat animals is a test of our character and a red flag that demands our attention,” said Wayne Pacelle, president at Animal Wellness Action. “Mistreating animals boomerangs against us in the form of social violence, zoonotic disease transmission, and other adverse outcomes that make all of us less safe.”
He has been a supporter of a wide range of anti-cruelty legislation.
- Enforcing Anti-Cruelty Laws: Rep. Gooden is a cosponsor of the Animal Cruelty Enforcement (ACE) Act that would establish a dedicated unit with funding at the U.S. Dept. of Justice to help enforce existing anti-cruelty, anti-dogfighting, and other animal protection laws like the Horse Protection Act of 1970. This action follows President Donald J. Trump’s signing of six new animal protection laws during his term in office.
- 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. The Senate passed the version led by Senator Rand Paul, R-Ky., and now the House is expected to back the measure promoted by Rep. Gooden.
- Ending Mink Farming and preventing new COVID variants from spawning: Rep. Gooden is an original cosponsor and one of the leaders of the MINKS Are Superspreaders Act that would bring an end to mink farming in the U.S. as mink have proven to be the number one superspreader of COVID besides humans. Mink pelts produced in the U.S. are produced solely for the purpose of selling archaic ‘luxury’ garments to the Chinese elite and while at least 5 variants of COVID has been spawned at mink farms around the globe, including one in the U.S.
- Stopping Horse Soring: Rep. Gooden has been a cosponsor of the Prevent All Soring Tactics (PAST) Act since the 113thCongress 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. He aligns not only with animal groups but also the Pennsylvania Horse Council on this issue.
- Keeping horse meat off the table: Rep. Gooden is a cosponsor of the Save America’s Forgotten Equines (SAFE) Act that would permanently end horse slaughter of U.S. soil and the transport of horses and other equines across state and federal lines for that purpose. The great Dallas area had two horse slaughter plants that had operated until 2007.
- Big Cat Public Safety Act: Rep. Gooden cosponsored and voted for the Big Cat Public Safety Act that passed the House in July. The measure would keep dangerous big cats such as tigers and lions out of suburban neighborhoods as tigers escaped on three different occasions in Texas last year alone.
- Greyhound Protection Act: Rep. Gooden is a cosponsor of the Greyhound Protection Act that would end greyhound racing in the U.S. by closing out the last remaining pockets of this abusive and archaic enterprise that was brought to an end in Texas in 2020.
- Halting Shark Fin Sales: The Congressman is a cosponsor of 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.
- Preventing Animal Cruelty and Torture: Rep. Gooden was a cosponsor of the Preventing Animal Cruelty and Torture (PACT) Act that President Donald J. Trump signed into law in November of 2016, the very first anti-cruelty statute in American history that outlawed the most egregious crimes against animals on the federal level.
“Lance Gooden has been a stalwart on animal protection issues since the day he came to Congress and we applaud his tireless work,” added Marty Irby, executive director at Animal Wellness Action. “We hope the good people of the 5th District will send Mr. Gooden back to Washington for another term to help both people and animals alike.”