Time is Running Out for this Congress to Ban Horse Slaughter, We Must Act

Even in a normal presidential election year, things on Capitol Hill are always hectic. A third of the Senate is up for reelection, while the entire House of Representatives is up for grabs. That often means nobody in Congress really wants to do anything that might be used in ads by their opponents. Traditionally, little is done in Congress heading into November as politicians rush to leave DC and return home to campaign. That is probably running through their minds now as daily breaking stories continue to come out further disrupting this already wild year – Covid19, social distancing, job loss, economic downturn, Supreme Court nomination and now the President has contracted the coronavirus (along with others close to him likely).

Despite all this Congress does continue to work. While they were unable to approve the Fiscal Year 2021 Appropriations by the October 1 start, they did approve a short term Continuing Resolution (CR) that will continue to fund the government through December 11 as leaders try and reach an agreement on the FY21 legislation. Our annual language blocking horse slaughter inspections contained in the FY20 Agriculture Appropriations bill remains in effect so it will also continue.

Not all is lost however and there is a window of possibility to still pass the SAFE Act. As mentioned above, leading into the election is often slow, but that is not always true of activity after Congress returns to work following the election. There are too many potential outcomes from the November 3 election so I will stay general. Needless to say, hang on to your hats!

When Congress returns to the Capitol in late November, they will still have to find a compromise to passing the FY21 Appropriations bills to fund the government for the next year. On top of that, free from the burden of an election hanging over their heads, House and Senate leaders are less restrained on what they will and can do. They could use this time to move legislation that has strong support but has not been brought up for a vote based on various reasons. This time between late November and the Christmas break is often seen as a time where Congress cleans their plates of issues important to American such as passing the Safeguard American Food Exports (SAFE) Act.

So, with that in mind, don’t give up hope. There is a chance, but your help is still vital to our work in DC. You must keep emailing and calling Congress while sharing our social media posts with everyone you know. We want legislators to know heading into the election and coming out of it on November 4, that banning horse slaughter is our number one priority and can no longer be delayed. With that said, be sure to vote on November 3 and let your legislators know that you will be watching their position on horse slaughter. While we continue to add cosponsors to the SAFE Act, many more in Congress can and must add their name.

Visit www.horsesinourhands.org to send an email to your legislator urging support for the SAFE Act. There is still time, but our elected officials must know you are serious about ending horse slaughter. Please be sure to follow us on social media and share this blog with everyone you know. We must be herd if we are to help our horses.