Representatives Vern Buchanan (R-FL) and Jan Schakowsky (D-IL) have led more than one-fourth of the 118th Congress to call for an all-out ban on horse slaughter in America. Reps. Buchanan and Schakowsky made their request known through a letter to the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Agriculture, writing to Chairman Andy Harris (R-MD) and Ranking Member Sanford Bishop (D-GA).
In the letter, the lawmakers urge that tax dollars be permanently prohibited from inspecting horse slaughter plants through the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) budget and prevent horse meat from “being processed in the United States for human consumption.” According to Rep. Buchanan, policies such as these have been included yearly since Fiscal Year 2014, but have not been made permanent.
“The slaughter of horses for human consumption is a barbaric practice that has no place in our country,” said Congressman Buchanan. “As co-chair of the Animal Protection Caucus in Congress, I look forward to continuing to lead the effort with Congresswoman Schakowsky to protect these majestic creatures.”
Rep. Schakowsky added that horses “embody the spirit of America” and should be protected.
"Horses have a special place in our nation's history and in many Americans' hearts. They embody the spirit of America, and it is time to end the brutal and dangerous practice of slaughtering these creatures for human consumption. As an animal enthusiast, I have championed this issue for many years,” said Congresswoman Schakowsky. “That is why I am co-leading a letter with Congressman Vern Buchanan in hopes of restricting the use of taxpayer funds for horse slaughter operations in the United States of America. Horses are not raised for human consumption. We owe it to our horse companions to protect their welfare."
Furthermore, the 120 lawmakers stated in the letter that more than 160,000 horses were outsourced to foreign nations to be slaughtered for human consumption. Rep. Buchanan and the lawmakers wrote, “For these reasons, we respectfully urge you to include the following language in the Fiscal Year 2025 Agriculture appropriations bill to permanently prevent taxpayer dollars from being spent on the slaughter of American horses.”
The letter has support from the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (ASPCA), the Human Society Legislative Fund, and the Animal Welfare Institute.
