Political Quotes

“Mr. Speaker, I thank my distinguished colleague and good friend from the Virgin Islands as well as the distinguished gentleman from Louisiana for putting this measure forward today. Obviously, I support H.R. 6720, to prohibit the slaughter of dogs and cats for human consumption. I was pleased to join my distinguished colleague and co-chairman of the Florida delegation, Congressman Vern Buchanan, in reintroducing the measure. It might surprise you to learn that consumption of dogs and cats is still legal in 44 States, where there are no laws prohibiting the purchasing, shipping, transporting, selling, or donating of dogs or cats to be slaughtered for human consumption. This bill would prohibit these actions and impose penalties to ensure that individuals involved in the dog or cat meat trade are held accountable. The United States' position on this cruel and brutal practice should be unequivocal: Dogs and cats should not be killed in this country for the consumption of their meat. It is with the utmost importance that we unify our animal cruelty laws in all 50 States and explicitly ban the torture and killing of dogs and cats for human consumption. Mr. Speaker, I thank Congressman Buchanan for his steadfast leadership in raising awareness on animal welfare issues in Congress, and I also give a big shout-out to all those who have helped us put this measure together in the United States, the number of people who have been involved.…”