Animals in Research, Action Alerts, Federal Legislation /
Good news: The EPA takes further steps away from animal testing
By Sara Amundson and Kitty Block
For the 190 million animals used in testing and research each year around the world, the shift to non-animal methods cannot come soon enough.
We have always been determined to see a day when elected officials, heads of major government agencies, and the leaders of scientific institutions and corporations came around to the position we have held for a long time:
That we need not rely on animals to gauge the safety of chemical and pesticide products.
Pets & Cruelty, Action Alerts, Federal Legislation /
USDA has cracked down on 9 puppy mills since damning ‘Horrible Hundred’ report came out
By Sara Amundson and Kitty Block
In late April, we released our annual Horrible Hundred report on puppy mills, exposing one hundred puppy mills across the U.S. More than half of these breeders were licensed by the U.S. Department of Agriculture, the agency tasked with upholding standards of care at many animal facilities, including commercial dog breeders, under the Animal Welfare Act.
Equines, Wildlife, Action Alerts, Federal Legislation /
House Appropriations Committee package promises disaster for wildlife
With the advancement of the House Appropriations Committee’s FY 2027 Interior-Environment Appropriations bill on a 35-27 vote, we’ve reached a new stage in the war on wildlife.
Wildlife, Federal Legislation /
Miracle survived the winter alone. But will the Endangered Species Act protect this grizzly cub?
By Sara Amundson and Kitty Block
Wildlife /
Trump administration lifts ban on cyanide bombs that kill animals
By Sara Amundson and Kitty Block
In a recent memorandum of understanding, the Trump administration set the stage for the federal government’s renewed use of the M-44 cyanide bomb on lands managed by the Bureau of Land Management. This action, carried out discreetly and quietly, was outrageous to those of us who know what this diabolical device does to animals.
Pets & Cruelty, State Legislation /
Iowa becomes final state in the US to pass this kind of law for animals
Laws are often the reflection of the values of a society, and that’s why we support the passage of laws that protect animals from cruelty. In a nation like the U.S., state and local laws are frequently as important as federal laws, and they play a fundamental role in our efforts to secure the highest level of protection possible for animals at risk.
Animals in Research, Equines, Farm Animals, Pets & Cruelty, Wildlife, Federal Legislation /
Mixed outcomes define House FY27 USDA–FDA appropriations package
Update June 4, 2026: The U.S. House of Representatives passed its FY 2027 federal funding bill for the USDA and the FDA with a vote of 213 - 210. The Senate Appropriations Committee has not yet released its version of this bill. One positive note from today’s floor debate: the House approved two amendments led by Rep. Nicole Malliotakis (R-N.Y.)—to prevent FDA from issuing guidelines calling for dog testing and to prevent USDA from conducting or funding painful research on dogs or cats.
Farm Animals /
You can help pigs and stop Big Pork’s power grab. Here’s how.
By Sara Amundson and Kitty Block
Update 04/30/26: The U.S. House of Representatives voted 224-200, largely on party lines, to pass the House Farm Bill which includes the Save Our Bacon Act. There’s still time to stop this dangerous bill as the House will need to work with the U.S. Senate on a final version of the Farm Bill. You can help by urging your federal legislators to OPPOSE a Farm Bill that includes any language that restricts state farm animal laws.
Pets & Cruelty /
Exposed: 100 horrible puppy mills across the US
By Sara Amundson and Kitty Block
In August 2025, at a dog breeding operation in Missouri, a husky mix named Masterpiece got sick with diarrhea and appeared weak. The owner of the facility, who is licensed under the U.S. Department of Agriculture, simply killed him.
In response, the USDA suspended the breeder’s license in January for just 21 days. Now the license is active again.
Farm Animals, Action Alerts, Federal Legislation, Food /
Big Pork’s cruelty goes to a vote in Congress, and that’s where we must stop it
By Sara Amundson and Kitty Block
Equines /
We're suing the USDA for failing to protect horses from soring
By Sara Amundson and Kitty Block
Soring is an undeniably cruel practice involving the use of caustic chemicals (blistering agents like mustard oil, diesel fuel and kerosene) and constricting devices —stacked pads, chains and tight metal bands, and sometimes even the cutting or thinning of horses’ soles or the use of other means to make their feet particularly sensitive to pain.
Wildlife /
Extremists in US Congress, Executive Branch target the Endangered Species Act for extinction
By Sara Amundson and Kitty Block
The Endangered Species Act, a landmark law for the protection of wildlife, is under attack. In late March, the Trump administration convened the federal Endangered Species Committee for only the fourth time in its nearly 50-year history. Under the law, the Committee has the extraordinary power to grant case-by-case exemptions to the protections of the Endangered Species Act— in essence, the authority to decide that a project should be allowed to proceed despite jeopardizing the very existence of an endangered species.
