Reps. Jim Moran (D-VA) and John Campbell (R-CA), co-chairs of the Congressional Animal Protection Caucus and two of the strongest advocates in Congress for animal protection legislation, have announced plans to retire at the close of the 113th Congress later this year.
Throughout Rep. Moran’s 24 years in Congress, he has been one of its fiercest protectors of animals, often taking to the floor of the House to defend or advocate on behalf
of actions such as ending horse slaughter or halting animal fighting. He has consistently scored a perfect 100 percent on AWI’s Compassion Index—which rates how legislators vote on important animal welfare bills. As the senior Democrat on the House Interior Appropriations Subcommittee, Moran advocated for protection of wild horses, supported increased funding for white-nose syndrome research for bats, and much more. This year, Moran’s budget amendment blocking horse slaughter for the remainder of the fiscal year was adopted by Congress.
Rep. Campbell has been a leader in bipartisan efforts to bring reform to USDA's Wildlife Services program. He has sponsored legislation aimed at limiting the program’s inhumane and unnecessary use of dangerous poisons to kill wildlife, and has successfully called upon USDA’s Office of Inspector General to investigate the program’s cruel, wasteful predator control activities. Campbell’s commitment to reforming Wildlife Services has also been evidenced by his efforts to eliminate federal funding for lethal control of native carnivores, as well as his requests that the program operate with greater transparency and accountability to the public. In addition to advocating for wildlife protection, Campbell has cosponsored legislation to ban the slaughter of American horses for human consumption, bring an end to the inhumane practice of horse soring, and crack down on animal fighting.
AWI will deeply miss these true champions for animals on Capitol Hill.