AWI has battled with the US Department of Agriculture for years over its practice of automatically renewing the licenses of puppy mills, roadside zoos, and others who are habitually out of compliance with the standards of the Animal Welfare Act (AWA). Finally recognizing that its current system perpetuates animal suffering, the USDA solicited input on changing its licensing regulations. AWI has urged the department to make several changes, including denying license renewals to anyone with a history of noncompliance with the AWA or who has been convicted of animal cruelty. Having now received nearly 47,000 comments, the vast majority of which supported AWI’s position, the USDA should propose new regulations that will promote compliance with, rather than defiance of, the Act.