The House Rules Committee advanced three amendments this week that will provide funds that total approximately $2 million to the Department of Justice to enforce issues surrounding animal welfare, including some allocated specifically to the Tennessee Walking Horse.
Although the United States Department of Agriculture has typically been charged with the enforcement of the Horse Protection Act, the DOJ does have the authority to also enforce the HPA and one of these three amendments specifically re-enforces that right. In addition to one of the three amendments (Amendment # 85) instructing the DOJ to pull from its Legal Activities account to allocate resources to enforce federal criminal statues to stop animal cruelty, including the federal HPA, the other two amendments specifically touch on issues surrounding lions, elephants, dogfighting and cockfighting.
Amendment #85 is sponsored by Reps. Haley Stevens (D-MI), Matt Gaetz (R-FL), Joe Neguse (D-CO), Brian Fitzpatrick (R-PA), Ben McAdams (D-UT), Peter King (R-NY), Madeleine Dean (D-PA), Vern Buchanan (R-FL), and Cindy Axne (D-IA) and championed by radical animal rights groups. The timing of the amendments is also noteworthy in lieu of the momentum gained by the ill-intended animal right’- backed PAST Act, which is expected to pass the U.S. House floor vote and next appear in front of the U.S. Senate.
Lobbyists on behalf of the walking horse industry are strongly encouraging walking horse enthusiasts to make their voices heard to appropriate representatives in Congress.
This makes it more vital for members of this industry to watch the videos sent to Washington and make positive comments about our horse. It has been viewed hundreds of times and I’m the only one to make a positive post about on it. I check every post be for it can be viewed and other than mine the antes are the only ones to make a post.