Animal Rights

I believe animals play an important role in our lives and should be protected from cruelty and abuse. By strengthening our country’s animal welfare policies, Congress can make a big impact on the lives of millions.

As your representative, I am a member of the Congressional Animal Protection Caucus, seeking to advance common-sense policies to protect animals. I am a co-sponsor of animal protection legislation, including:

• The Pet and Women Safety (PAWS) Act, to allow for the protection of pets under protective orders obtained by victims of domestic violence, sexual assault, stalking, and dating violence.

• The Prevent Animal Cruelty and Torture (PACT) Act, to prohibit extreme acts of cruelty in the context of interstate or foreign commerce. This law would serve as a complement to state anti-cruelty laws, and aid in the prosecution of these crimes.

• The Animal Welfare in Agricultural Research (AWARE) Act, to close a loophole in the Animal Welfare Act exempting farm animals used for agricultural research from the basic standards of care required under the act.

• The Prevent All Soring Tactics (PAST) Act, to crack down on the cruel practice of “soring,” in which trainers deliberately inflict pain on the hooves and legs of Tennessee walking horses and certain other breeds to exaggerate their high-stepping gait and gain an unfair competitive advantage at horse shows

• The Humane Cosmetics Act, to end animal testing on cosmetics manufactured or sold in the United States.

• The Safeguard American Food Exports (SAFE) Act, to protect horses and consumers by prohibiting the transport and export of U.S. horses to slaughter for human consumption

• The Captive Primate Safety Act, to bar the interstate commerce in dangerous primates as pets which threaten public health and safety.

• The Global Anti-Poaching Act, to crack down on wildlife trafficking and poaching of imperiled species such as elephants and rhinos.

• I have also supported efforts to prevent the Congress from arbitrarily removing federal protections for wolves and other species under the Endangered Species Act.  I am also fighting efforts to block the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service from creating new rules to crack down on the trade in ivory in order to prevent the widespread poaching of elephants in Africa.

• I also support efforts to stop government waste and cut taxpayer funds for programs that are harmful to animals, such as federal subsidies to trap and poison predators, and the costly round-ups of wild horses and long-term holding in federal pens at taxpayer expense.