By Sara Amundson and Kitty Block
This week, the New York Times reported that several hundred of America’s wild horses have been sold to slaughter, in a total betrayal of public trust, congressional direction and the historic legislation that first set the stage for their protection in the mid-twentieth century.
8/6/26 update: The Senate Agriculture Committee did not pass a Farm Bill today, leaving the controversial Save Our Bacon Act out of the legislation as negotiations continue.
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.
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.
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.
By Sara Amundson and Kitty Block
By Sara Amundson and Kitty Block
Making this world better and brighter for animals involves vital collaboration with people in the halls of power making legislation and shaping policy. In the U.S., we work on bringing people together—regardless of party affiliation—to advance compassionate legislation that makes a real difference for animals.
