Latest congressional appropriations package demonstrates continued bipartisan support for animal welfare policies
WASHINGTON (January 15, 2026)—Humane World Action Fund, formerly called Humane Society Legislative Fund, issued the following statement on Congress passing a FY2026 funding package for the U.S. Department of Interior and U.S. Department of Justice among other federal agencies.
"Congress sent an unequivocal message that animal protection is a bipartisan priority," said Sara Amundson, president of Humane World Action Fund. "By rejecting harmful policy riders that would have endangered the survival of gray wolves and grizzly bears, voting to prevent the sale of wild horses and burros to slaughter, directing the Department of Justice to continue crucial collaboration with the Department of Agriculture on Animal Welfare Act enforcement, and moving away from animal testing at the Environmental Protection Agency, lawmakers have shown they understand that protecting animals and enforcing existing laws are important to all Americans."
Earlier appropriation votes also produced positive outcomes for animals. In November, a bipartisan majority of lawmakers voted to protect critical animal welfare programs, even as many other programs faced cuts. Among other things, Congress maintained funding for key U.S. Department of Agriculture enforcement and animal protection initiatives, advanced non-animal testing at the Food and Drug Administration, and upheld safeguards preventing the reopening of horse slaughter plants in the United States.
Media Contact: Liz Bartolomeo, 240-472-0475, ebartolomeo@humaneaction.org
