Farm Animals

Success in the federal animal protection arena demands advocacy that is determined, purposeful and realistic. At the Humane Society Legislative Fund, those are our bywords. We are not just tenacious in the pursuit of our goals. We are disciplined in our public outreach and in our negotiations with legislators and key stakeholders. We understand how to make sure Washington politics works for animals, and we pursue a holistic strategy for securing strong and lasting animal protection gains.

By Sara Amundson and Kitty Block

A lawsuit currently being considered by the United States Supreme Court will have enormous consequences for millions of animals across the country—and we have news about major developments, some of it positive and some disappointing. Regardless, the fight continues.

By Sara Amundson and Kitty Block

When a strain of bird flu sweeps through factory farms, where birds are tightly confined, the current “solution” involves immense cruelty.

By Sara Amundson and Kitty Block

When you’re a passionate animal welfare advocate, you might sometimes feel like a bit of an outsider.

By Sara Amundson and Kitty Block

Update 5/11/2022: The Humane Society Legislative Fund has taken out a full-page advertisement in the Washington Post, urging the Biden administration to support Proposition 12 before the United States Supreme Court. We hope you'll join us and take a moment to tweet President Biden asking him to protect Proposition 12!

By Sara Amundson and Kitty Block

The U.S. Supreme Court has agreed to hear the pork industry’s lawsuit that attempts to overturn California’s Proposition 12. Special interest groups have been trying to stop the implementation of the historic ballot measure, which passed in 2018 with 63% of California voters in support.

By Sara Amundson and Kitty Block

Update 3/15/2022: President Biden signed the appropriations package into law.

Humane advocates often look to the passage of animal-friendly legislation as the strongest measure of progress in our work at the federal level, and clearly, good laws are important. But a nation that cares for animals needs to prove that in its spending commitments, too. For that reason, we work to secure strong animal protection laws and to shape congressional funding priorities for key federal agencies.

By Sara Amundson and Kitty Block

Accountability is critical to our work. Just as we are accountable to our supporters and the animals we seek to defend, we work to hold elected officials accountable for their track records and their commitment to animal protection legislation.

Today we have published our annual Humane Scorecard to track key votes, co-sponsorships and other actions by federal lawmakers in support of animal protection. We hope you find it a valuable tool, and we’re heartened that many legislators work hard to achieve a high score.