Bipartisan Amendment to Ban Horse Slaughter Clears Key Congressional Committee

Horse advocates across the United States have cause for celebration after a bipartisan amendment that could help end the horse slaughter pipeline passed the U.S. House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee as part of its five-year surface transportation reauthorization bill, the BUILD America 250 Act.

The amendment, introduced by U.S. Representatives Jeff Van Drew (R-N.J.) and Dina Titus (D-Nev.) and supported by Representatives Tim Burchett (R-Tenn.) and Jimmy Patronis (R-Fla.), would prohibit the transport of American horses to slaughterhouses for human consumption.

Importantly, the Van Drew-Titus Amendment advances the same core policy goals as the Save America’s Forgotten Equines (SAFE) Act, which now has broad bipartisan backing in Congress with 230 cosponsors in the House of Representatives.

If passed into law, the amendment would help close the loophole that still allows thousands of American horses to be shipped across U.S. borders to slaughterhouses in Mexico and Canada every year. In 2025 alone, more than 21,000 American horses were exported for slaughter.

These horses endure horrific journeys packed into overcrowded trailers, often without adequate food, water, or rest for more than 24 hours at a time. Many arrive severely injured, and some die before even reaching the slaughterhouses.

Representative Van Drew celebrated the amendment’s passage, stating that American horses “deserve dignity and humane treatment, not to be packed into dangerous trailers and shipped across our borders for slaughter.” Representative Titus echoed those sentiments, noting that horses are “beloved pets, working partners, and military heroes; they deserve protection, dignity, and compassion.”

The growing support for this legislation reflects the overwhelming will of the American people. More than 80% of Americans oppose horse slaughter, and awareness of the cruelty behind this industry continues to grow thanks to years of advocacy from animal protection organizations like Species Unite and concerned citizens across the country.

Momentum is clearly building. One of the final horse slaughterhouses in Canada recently shut down, and last month Maryland passed a landmark law banning the sale and transport of racehorses for slaughter. While the law falls short by protecting only racehorses instead of all equines, it helps expose the often-hidden reality that despite the racing industry’s longstanding claims that racehorses are exceptionally cared for because of their financial value, many Thoroughbreds end up in the slaughter pipeline after their careers end.

The Van Drew-Titus Amendment will still face a difficult road in the Senate, but the growing bipartisan consensus against horse slaughter gives this effort its strongest chance of passage to date. Lawmakers on both sides of the aisle are increasingly recognizing that shipping American horses across borders to be butchered for meat is cruel, unnecessary, and deeply out of step with public opinion.

If you haven’t already please join the nearly 50,000 members of the Species Unite community who have already spoken out in support of the SAFE Act. We are incredibly close to reaching this milestone, and you can help us get there.

Together, we can end the slaughter of American horses once and for all.