Tom Tancredo: “I rise in support of the Blumenauer-Tancredo amendment. It is a narrowly drawn measure that eliminates a one-phrase…”

“I rise in support of the Blumenauer-Tancredo amendment. It is a narrowly drawn measure that eliminates a one-phrase loophole in the Animal Welfare Act. Simply put, it bars the shipment of birds for the purpose of fighting. It is clear. It is not ambiguous. I think that it cannot be used to do anything but what we are saying it should do. Now, I know that if it puts a slight burden on any other aspect of the industry, there are people who are going to be opposed to it and, I assume, or I suppose that that is proper from their point of view; but I think that it is not that much of a burden that it would prevent this amendment from being effective, from actually doing what it simply says we should do, that these birds should not be shipped across State lines for this horrendous purpose. It does not affect the ownership of the use of birds for show or the legitimate transport of birds for agricultural purposes. It strikes the provision that permits transporting birds for the purpose of fighting, the purpose of fighting, to States in which cockfighting is legal. This particular activity is rampant, in part, because of the Federal loophole that allows birds to be transported for this activity. This loophole will be closed if this passes and, up to this point, it has served to undermine local law enforcement in trying to enforce their own State laws against this practice.”