Last week, Congress narrowly avoided a government shutdown by passing the Minibus Appropriations Package—a bill that funds roughly half of all U.S. government agencies for the current fiscal year, including the Department of Agriculture (USDA) and the Department of the Interior. We are delighted that this bill contained many important protections for the nation’s animals and pet owners.
Here are a few ways that it will help build a brighter future for animals:
The bill includes language that prevents horse slaughterhouses from operating within the United States for another year. While we celebrate this critical win, tens of thousands of American equines are still trucked across our borders each year to be slaughtered in Canada and Mexico. To fully protect America’s horses, Congress must pass the Save America’s Forgotten Equines (SAFE) Act, which would simply add equines to an existing, uncontroversial law that bans the slaughter of dogs and cats for meat. You can help—please urge your members of Congress to pass the SAFE Act!
Wild horses and burros retained important protections, ensuring that they cannot be killed or sold to slaughter as part of the government’s strategy for managing wild herds. Additionally, the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) received funding to humanely manage wild horses and burros. With this funding, the BLM must carry out a long-term, sustainable plan that ultimately combines widespread application of effective, safe, and humane fertility control with strategic removals, pasture-based holding facilities, and adoptions to good homes.
The program’s continued funding is a big win, but this year’s bill slashed that funding by nearly $6 million. For the agency to tackle population growth and ensure healthy herds and lands, funding must be robust and consistent. The ASPCA will continue fighting for increased support of the Wild Horse and Burro Program.
The bill calls for stronger enforcement of the Animal Welfare Act (AWA), a federal law that affords protections to animals, including dogs in puppy mills. Congress—concerned about the agency’s ongoing failures—directed the USDA to improve its enforcement of the AWA through better inspections, accurate recording of violations, and reporting of violations to relevant local, state, and federal agencies. The package again directs the agency to update the Appropriations Committee on AWA enforcement activities, including when it refers cases to the Office of the General Counsel or the Department of Justice. The USDA must do a better job of addressing animal businesses that violate the law and harm animals.
$3 million was allocated to the Protecting Animals With Shelter (PAWS) grant program, which provides resources that enable domestic violence survivors to shelter with their pets. This program establishes an important safety net for people who are stuck in dangerous situations and have feared leaving because their abuser might harm their pet.
The PAWS program, enacted through the 2018 Farm Bill, serves as a model for how resources can be dedicated to increase pet-friendly sheltering options. For example, the ASPCA and 100 organizations around the country collectively support the Providing for Unhoused People with Pets (PUPP) Act, which will establish a similar grant program to provide sheltering options for unhoused people who have pets. You can make a difference for people and pets by urging your members of Congress to support the PUPP Act.
The Minibus package included several wins for animals, and your help will be needed throughout the year to continue passing laws that protect animals from harm. Join the ASPCA Advocacy Brigade to receive breaking news and alerts when there are actions you can take to help animals in your community and beyond.