Urges President Trump to Permanently Ban Export of American Horses for Slaughter
WASHINGTON — Today, Congressman Vern Buchanan, Co-Chair of the Congressional Animal Protection Caucus, led a letter signed by 17 members of Congress to President Donald J. Trump praising the Administration’s actions to suspend live horse exports to Mexico to combat the New World Screwworm threat and urging the President to make those protections permanent by issuing an executive order banning the export of American horses for slaughter, as first reported by Politico Morning Ag.
“Your Administration has already taken important action to address this threat,” write the lawmakers in the letter. “We respectfully urge you to make these protections permanent. A permanent ban on the export of American horses for slaughter would help protect horses from cruelty, strengthen our defenses against New World Screwworm and uphold American values.”
While it is illegal to slaughter horses for slaughter in the United States, tens of thousands of American horses are shipped across the border annually, primarily to Mexico and Canada, for slaughter and human consumption. Approximately 25,000 American horses are exported for slaughter each year.
Buchanan is the longtime leader of the Save America’s Forgotten Equines (SAFE) Act (H.R. 1661), which would permanently ban the slaughter of horses for human consumption in the U.S. and prohibit their export to Canada and Mexico for that purpose. The legislation has garnered overwhelming bipartisan support, with 230 cosponsors in the House. A revised version of the SAFE Act, introduced as an amendment by Rep. Jeff Van Drew (R-N.J.), was ultimately included in the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee’s BUILD America 250 Act. Companion legislation has been introduced in the Senate (S. 775) by Senator Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) and Senator Ben Ray Luján (D-N.M.).
Buchanan was joined on the letter by Reps. Mike Carey (R-Ohio), Juan Ciscomani (R-Ariz.), Randy Fine (R-Fla.), Brian Fitzpatrick (R-Pa.), Andrew Garbarino (R-N.Y.), Carlos Gimenez (R-Fla.), Lance Gooden (R-Texas), Nick LaLota (R-N.Y.), Nicholas Langworthy (R-N.Y.), Mike Lawler (R-N.Y.), Nicole Malliotakis (R-N.Y.), Troy Nehls (R-Texas), David Schweikert (R-Ariz.), Chris Smith (R-N.J.), Elise Stefanik (R-N.Y.) and Jeff Van Drew (R-N.J.).
Buchanan, who co-chairs the Animal Protection Caucus in Congress, is a leading advocate for protecting endangered species and ending animal cruelty, introducing and co-sponsoring dozens of important animal measures. In 2024, an amended version of Buchanan’s Honoring Our Heroes with Dignity Act, which requires the Army to resume horse-drawn funeral services at Arlington National Cemetery, was signed into law as part of the end-of-year defense spending package. He is also a two-time recipient of the Humane Society’s “Legislator of the Year” award, winning the award in 2015 and 2020.
Read the full letter here or below:
Dear Mr. President:
We write to commend you and Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins for taking swift action to protect American agriculture from the growing threat of New World Screwworm (NWS) along our southern border. Your recent decision to halt live animal exports to Mexico as part of USDA’s emergency response to the northward movement of this parasitic fly was an important step to protect American agriculture, animal health and our livestock industry.
Suspending the export of live horses to Mexico, among the many actions taken by your Administration, was a wise and necessary step. The movement of animals across borders creates additional opportunities for NWS to spread, making eradication efforts more difficult and costly for both the United States and Mexico. Preventing unnecessary animal movements during this crisis helps protect American livestock, horses, pets, wildlife and taxpayers. It is a commonsense step that benefits both nations and helps prevent further losses to agriculture and animal health.
We respectfully urge your Administration to build on these efforts by issuing an Executive Order permanently prohibiting the export of American horses to Mexico for slaughter.
Last year, roughly 20,000 American horses were shipped across the border for slaughter, with much of the resulting horse meat exported overseas for human consumption. This trade does not reflect American values. Americans do not view horses as livestock raised for food. They are valued for their role in sport, competition, recreation and law enforcement, and have been throughout our nation’s history.
The Dog and Cat Meat Trade Prohibition Act reflected the strong bipartisan view that animals traditionally regarded as companions should not be slaughtered for human consumption. Horses likewise have never been raised for food in the United States. We believe the export of American horses for slaughter is inconsistent with the values held by most Americans, and we hope this issue is viewed through that same lens.
There is broad opposition among Americans to horse slaughter, and ending this export pipeline would align federal policy with those views while advancing animal welfare. The SAFE Act in Congress has 230 House cosponsors and broad bipartisan support, including dozens of Republican Members who support ending the horse slaughter trade. In fact, an amended version of the legislation prohibiting the transport of equines intended for slaughter for human consumption was recently included in the Build America 250 Act upon passage out of the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee.
The New World Screwworm crisis underscores why the long-distance transport of horses for slaughter should become a thing of the past. It creates unnecessary disease risks while generating little economic benefit for our country.
Just as America is working to secure our southern border against illegal crossings and illicit trafficking, we should also take every reasonable step to prevent the spread of animal diseases that threaten our livestock industry, pets, wildlife and economy.
Your Administration has already taken important action to address this threat. We respectfully urge you to make these protections permanent. A permanent ban on the export of American horses for slaughter would help protect horses from cruelty, strengthen our defenses against New World Screwworm and uphold American values.
Thank you for your attention to this important issue and for your continued efforts to protect American agriculture and animal health.
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