Return to Freedom is frustrated and disappointed that bans on horse slaughter and the export of horses for slaughter were not included in the version of the Farm Bill passed by the House Agriculture Committee. The $1.5 trillion package passed on Thursday, 33-21, largely along party lines.
During a heated Farm Bill mark-up session, Republicans focused on expanding commodity supports, Democrats on opposing cuts to food assistance for low-income families, and both sides on whether funding previously intended for climate-smart farming practices should be reallocated.
Neither party offered a horse slaughter ban amendment despite a stand-alone bill with the same language, the SAFE Act, amassing 223 bipartisan House co-sponsors.
Also ignored: A letter signed by more than 120 bipartisan House lawmakers calling on Farm Bill authors to permanently prohibit using tax dollars to hire horse meat inspectors. That request fell on deaf ears despite the same language being used in annual funding bills to keep horse slaughter plants closed since 2007.
Out of 15,359 bills that have been introduced during this Congress, just 226 have been signed into law. In the face of such historic levels of inaction, the Farm Bill, typically passed every five years, presented another way to get a horse slaughter ban passed.
It’s unclear whether the House will bring its Farm Bill to the floor for a vote given the gulf between parties and narrow GOP majority. Some expect it to be extended until after the election or to the next Congress.
The Senate Ag Committee has released its draft Farm Bill outline. While it is much different from the House legislation, it also fails to include a horse slaughter ban.