Helps Lead Legislation to Reduce Use of Live Animals in Research
WASHINGTON — Congressman Vern Buchanan, Co-Chair of the Animal Protection Caucus, recently led several legislative initiatives to continue his efforts in support of animal rights. He also led a letter to House Republican and Democrat leadership, as well as the Chairman and Ranking Member of the House Agriculture Committee, encouraging them to include his Save America’s Forgotten Equines (SAFE) Act (H.R. 1661) in the upcoming Farm Bill.
“As Co-Chair of the Animal Protection Caucus, I’m proud to lead recent efforts to protect animals from cruelty and abuse,” said Buchanan. “From banning horse slaughter to reducing the use of live animals in government-funded research, I’ve introduced and supported commonsense legislation that reflect my longstanding commitment to promoting compassion and accountability in how we treat animals.”
Buchanan introduced the Leveraging Aerial Systems for Stewardship Operations (LASSO) Act (H.R. 5829), bipartisan legislation that uses cutting-edge unmanned drones to protect wild horses and burros, improve safety during roundups and reduce costs for taxpayers, with Congressman Eugene Vindman (D-Va.). The bill authorizes a five-year pilot program, allocating $100,000 annually from the Bureau of Land Management’s (BLM) $142 million Wild Horse and Burro Program budget to test drone-assisted new herd stewardship and population control strategies.
He also cosponsored several pieces of legislation to reduce the use of live animals in scientific research:
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CARGO Act (H.R. 1085): Prohibits the National Institutes of Health (NIH) from awarding any support for an activity or program that uses live animals in research unless the research occurs in the U.S.
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Federal Animal Research Accountability Act (H.R. 3295): Improves the accuracy and transparency of animal use data collected by the NIH from entities that conduct biomedical and behavioral research with NIH funds
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Violet’s Law (H.R. 3246): Allows for the adoption or non-laboratory placement of certain animals used in federal research
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HEARTS Act (H.R. 1291): Ensure that nonanimal methods are prioritized, where applicable and feasible, in proposals for all research to be conducted or supported by the NIH and provides for the establishment of the National Center for Alternatives to Animals in Research and Testing
Furthermore, he led a letter to Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.), Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.), House Agriculture Committee Chairman Glenn Thompson (R-Pa.) and House Agriculture Committee Ranking Member Angie Craig (D-Minn.) encouraging them to include his Save America’s Forgotten Equines (SAFE) Act (H.R. 1661) in the upcoming Farm Bill. The SAFE Act permanently prohibits the slaughter of horses and mules for human consumption.
Joining Buchanan is signing the letter were Reps. Andy Barr (R-Ky.), Gus Bilirakis (R-Fla.), Mike Carey (R-Ohio), Juan Ciscomani (R-Ariz.), Brian Fitzpatrick (R-Pa.), Andrew Garbarino (R-N.Y.), Young Kim (R-Calif.), Tom Kean (R-N.J.), Nick LaLota (R-N.Y.), Mike Lawler (R-N.Y.), Anna Paulina Luna (R-Fla.), Nancy Mace (R-S.C.), Nicole Malliotakis (R-N.Y.), Troy Nehls (R-Texas), Chris Smith (R-N.J.), Greg Steube (R-Fla.), Claudia Tenney(R-N.Y.), Mike Turner (R-Ohio) and Jeff Van Drew (R-N.J.).
Read the full letter here or below:
Dear Speaker Johnson, Minority Leader Jeffries, Chair Thompson, and Ranking Member Craig,
As you prepare to bring the upcoming Farm Bill to the House floor, we write to request that you include H.R. 1661, the Save America’s Forgotten Equines (SAFE) Act, in the final text of the bill. This critical piece of legislation would amend the Dog and Cat Meat Prohibition Act, which passed as part of the 2018 Farm Bill, to include equines as well, thereby protecting America’s horses from being slaughtered for human consumption.
The SAFE Act enjoys strong bipartisan support and was introduced with more than 100 original cosponsors. For almost every year since 2005, Congress has included provisions in annual appropriations legislation specifically barring the use of federal funds to operate horse slaughter facilities. Both of President Trump’s administrations and Democratic administrations under former Presidents Obama and Biden have included this restriction in their budget requests.
Furthermore, national polling shows overwhelming public support—83 percent of Americans support a ban on horse slaughter, including 81 percent of Americans from agricultural and rural communities. Not only is horse slaughter inherently inhumane, but it also promotes a predatory industry that harms horse owners and makes rescuing horses more difficult. Congress should make this ban permanent.
The horse slaughter industry is built on predatory behavior and fraud that should be put to an end. “Kill buyers”—those who profit from selling horses to slaughter—use several techniques to funnel horses into the slaughter pipeline. First, they frequently outbid people offering good homes, acquiring horses who otherwise would have had a safe place to land. They also often deceive owners who are trying to re-home their beloved horses by claiming to offer a good home only to sell the horses to slaughterhouses. Finally, many also employ bail-out schemes, preying on the public’s emotions by creating artificial emergencies claiming horses will be slaughtered unless “rescued” with high bail fees, which ultimately funds the direct shipment of more horses to slaughter. Simply put, kill buyers are a stain on our society, and we cannot allow their actions to continue unabated. In addition, there are significant and well-documented welfare concerns associated with the horse slaughter industry. The type of captive bolt method of stunning, commonly used in horse slaughter, was not designed for horses. The intense physiological “fight or flight” response of these animals makes captive bolt stunning ineffective and inhumane. As a result, panic-stricken horses often suffer repeated blows by the captive bolt and sometimes remain conscious during dismemberment, which is unconscionably cruel. When U.S. slaughter plants were operating, USDA inspection documents revealed rampant cruelty and similarly gruesome findings.
Not only does Congress need to pass the SAFE Act to make the ban on domestic slaughter permanent, but also end the export of horses to be killed for human consumption in other countries. In 2024, approximately 20,200 American horses were exported to Canadian and Mexican slaughterhouses to be killed for human consumption. While this marks a significant (86 percent) reduction in the number of American horses exported to slaughter over the last decade, tens of thousands of horses continue to suffer. Until Congress passes a permanent prohibition on the slaughter of horses and closes the loophole that allows them to be transported to foreign abattoirs, our nation’s horses will continue to meet this unnecessary and inhumane end. With export numbers down and political support as strong as ever, now is the opportune time to pass a ban.
We appreciate your work in crafting a comprehensive Farm Bill that bolsters our country’s agriculture policies and reflects the priorities of the American public. The upcoming Farm Bill presents an ideal opportunity to end the slaughter of American horses once and for all, and we hope you will seize this opportunity. Thank you for your consideration of this request and we look forward to working together to pass a Farm Bill this year.
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