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While most Republicans and Democrats are busy barking at one another, Representative Roger Marshall (R-KS) and Representative Angie Craig (D-MN) have teamed up for a new initiative that has animal lovers purring. The bipartisan Congressional Pet Caucus will focus on the health and nutritional wellbeing of companion animals, on legislation that supports pet ownership, and on science-based and transparent regulations regarding the animal community.
Pets and animal welfare are issues that have a history of getting legislators to cross the aisle. Approximately two-thirds of American households have at least one pet, making them one of the largest hypothetical voting blocks in the nation. Rep. Marshall’s family includes two labs, Razor and Choco, and a Yorkie named Pepper, while Rep. Craig’s family includes a 12-year-old golden retriever named Summit and a rescue cat named Sophie. Despite the two representatives’ differences on issues like human healthcare, their joint vision for the health and wellbeing of animals has brought them together.
In Rep. Marshall, Americans with pets can know that they have an ally who’s more than just talk when it comes to actionable legislation relating to animals. Marshall’s home state of Kansas produces an estimated 56 percent of animal health, diagnostic, and pet food sales worldwide. Marshall says he understands the importance of safe, nutritious, and affordable food and care options for pets, and he’s supported the shift to modernized ingredient lists and packaging options. His position as co-chair of the Congressional Pet Caucus will play a significant role in determining whether the manufacturing and distribution of these products and services continue to progress in an equitable and transparent manner.
For Rep. Craig, her position as co-chair is a result of her belief in the healing power of animal companionship, especially for veterans, the differently-abled, and victims of violence. Earlier in the year, she also helped pass HR 4305, the Puppies Assisting Wounded Servicemembers (PAWS) for Veteran Therapy Act. The legislation, if passed by the Senate, would direct the Department of Veteran Affairs to begin a five-year program of providing federal funding to nonprofit organizations that match service dogs with veterans who have experienced PTSD. Once again, the bill was the work of a bipartisan coalition.
The Congressional Pet Caucus isn’t the only bipartisan effort dedicated to protecting the furrier side of the country. The Congressional Animal Protection Caucus (CAPC) was formed in 2009 in order to replace the Friends of the Animals Caucus and safeguard the interests of wild and domestic animals. The CAPC is currently chaired by Representative Earl Blumenauer (D-OR) and Representative Vern Buchanan (R-FL).
Considered a critically important organization by the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (ASPCA), the CAPC has helped close legal loopholes that protected spectators at animal fights, ban the commerce in “crush videos,” and protect the rights of states to pass their own animal protection laws.
The CAPC boasts a lengthy and healthily bipartisan membership list, which is notable for an initiative that is purely voluntary. But it’s yet to receive unanimous support, and the ASPCA encourages everyone to write their representatives about the importance of membership.
Compared to the CAPC and other animal-focused political initiatives, the newly-founded Congressional Pet Caucus is just a young puppy, but it’s definitely of the same breed. The bipartisan effort has already garnered support from industry heavyweights like the Pet Food Institute (PFI) and Nestle Purina PetCare. PFI in particular is a national force in the pet food industry, representing the companies that make 98 percent of the cat and dog food in America, and export an additional $1.62 billion worth.
With the Congressional Pet Caucus, America’s pets now have a strong and unified voice representing them in Congress. Maybe, one day, their human companions can say the same thing.
