I'm so pleased to tell you that last night, thanks to your action,
the U.S. House of Representatives voted in a landslide -- 249-159 --
to ban the sale of wild horses for slaughter!
Americans were outraged last December when a secret rider in a
budget bill gutted the federal protections afforded to wild horses
for 34 years, an action that allowed "killer buyers" last month to
ship 41 mustangs to an Illinois slaughterhouse, which quickly killed
these majestic animals so they could be served up on dinner plates
in Europe and Asia.
U.S. Representatives Nick Rahall (D-WV), Ed Whitfield (R-KY), John
Sweeney (R-NY), and John Spratt (D-SC) have led the charge to end
horse slaughter. As Congressman Rahall stated after last night's
victory, "The very notion that wild American horses would be
slaughtered as a food source for foreign consumption abroad has
struck a chord with the American people. Tonight, the people's House
of Representatives acted on the will of its constituents."
Congressional offices told us they were flooded with phone calls and
emails all week asking them to support the Rahall-Whitfield
Amendment to the Interior Appropriations Bill, and I can assure you
that your participation carried the day in this
decisive victory for horses. You can
click here to find out how your
Representative voted. If your Representative voted "Aye," please
thank him or her for protecting wild horses, and if your
Representative voted "No," please let him or her know how
disappointed you are. You can reach your U.S. Representative, Mike
Rogers, through the Capitol switchboard at 202-224-3121.
Our efforts for horses will now turn to the U.S. Senate, and the
decisive margin of victory in the House will undoubtedly create
momentum. If you would like to help us do even more to
protect wild horses and pass other animal protection laws,
please
make a donation. The HSUS made this
a priority and together we accomplished this great victory. Thank
you so much for helping us win this critical legislative battle --
and for helping wild horses to run free again.
Sincerely,
Wayne Pacelle
President & CEO
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