Lawmakers Must Protect Horses Against Slaughter

Last week, the House Rules Committee rejected two bipartisan amendments to government funding bills that would have protected horses. The first amendment aimed to prevent horse slaughter plants from reopening in the United States. Horse slaughter is inherently cruel, employing barbaric and painful methods that only benefit foreign companies at the expense of iconic American horses. Furthermore, these plants would sell horse meat to other countries for human consumption, despite its unsafety due to numerous drug injections.

Additionally, the committee rejected another amendment that sought to prevent the mass killing of wild horses in Bureau of Land Management (BLM) holding pens. Congress charged the BLM with ensuring that wild horses are “protected from capture, branding, harassment, or death.” Instead of fulfilling this duty, the Rules Committee is allowing the BLM to shirk its responsibilities, succumbing to pressure from special interests that wish to see wild horses exterminated.

Both amendments had strong bipartisan support and would likely have passed on the House floor if allowed a vote. Those who advocate for horse slaughter prefer to hide behind the Rules Committee rather than confront the reality that they are in the extreme minority. Americans overwhelmingly oppose these horrific fates for horses.

Originally posted by The Baltimore Sun