2026 Should Be the Year Congress Ends the Export of American Horses for Slaughter
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Now is the time to finally close the loophole that allows the transport of American horses to slaughter. Not only is our nation’s 250th anniversary the perfect time to protect this national icon, but the surface transportation package presents the ideal legislative vehicle to do so.
Horse slaughter for human consumption hasn't taken place on U.S. soil since 2007, when Congress cut off funding for the USDA inspections required to operate horse slaughterhouses legally. But that funding rider, which must be adopted every year, only closed domestic plants. It didn't stop the export of horses for slaughter. As a result, every year tens of thousands of American horses — work partners, athletes, trusted friends — are transported across our borders into Mexico and Canada, where they are brutally slaughtered for meat for human consumption.
An August 2026 New York Times article exposed how thousands of wild horses and burros are likely being funneled into the slaughter pipeline despite law that specifically bars the federal government from selling or otherwise transferring these national icons in a manner that results in their slaughter. It’s heartbreaking and demonstrates a key case for why Congress should end horse slaughter entirely.
Fortunately, Congress could soon close this export pipeline thanks to the Van Drew-Titus Amendment, which was recently added to the House BUILD America 250 Act (H.R. 8870), a 5-year surface transportation reauthorization bill. But passage of this amendment in committee was only the first step. The real fight is making sure this language survives the rest of the legislative process. Unfortunately, we may soon see an amendment on the House floor to remove this language.
The Horse Slaughter Provision in the Surface Transportation Bill
During the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee's markup in May, Representatives Jeff Van Drew (R-N.J.) and Dina Titus (D-Nev.), joined by Reps. Tim Burchett (R-Tenn.) and Jimmy Patronis (R-Fla.), offered an amendment that would prohibit the transportation of a horse with reason to believe that the horse may be slaughtered for human consumption. Approved by a bipartisan 34-30 vote, the provision would close the current loophole that allows the export of horses to be killed for human consumption in other countries. The amendment’s exact language was also included in the surface transportation reauthorization package that passed the full House of Representatives in the 117th Congress. However, the Senate did not bring a similar amendment to a vote.
Though drafted differently, this provision achieves the same policy goal as the Save America’s Forgotten Equines (SAFE) Act (H.R. 1661/S. 775). The SAFE Act, which is led by Reps. Vern Buchanan (R-Fla.) and Jan Schakowsky (D.-Ill.) and is cosponsored by more than half of the U.S. House of Representatives, would amend the Dog and Cat Meat Prohibition Act to permanently ban the slaughter of horses for human consumption and — just like the transportation provision — would ban their export abroad for that purpose.
The Transportation Bill could soon move to the House floor, and there may be attempts to remove this commonsense amendment.
Why Must Congress End Horse Slaughter
A recent national poll found that 83% of Americans oppose the slaughter of horses for human consumption. And an impressive coalition of more than 70 industry groups, 500+ horse rescues and the nation’s leading animal welfare groups support the language. Support for ending this practice is widespread due to its well-documented harms, including the inhumane treatment of horses during long-distance transportation and at slaughter facilities, its role in incentivizing predatory practices and the barriers it creates to successful rehoming efforts.
Get the facts about horse slaughter:
The type of captive bolt method of stunning commonly used in horse slaughter was not designed for horses, and the intense physiological “fight or flight” response of these animals make it ineffective. As a result, horses often endure repeated blows and sometimes remain conscious during dismemberment, which is unconscionably cruel. Past USDA inspections confirmed rampant violations and cruelty in domestic horse slaughter plants. Additionally, 2021 research published in Meat Science found that 79% of slaughtered horses had serious transport-related injuries. When U.S. slaughter plants were operating, USDA inspection documents revealed similarly gruesome findings.
Because American horses are not raised for food, they are routinely administered medications and substances prohibited by the FDA for use in animals intended for human consumption. We should not allow humans, whether living within or outside the United States, to eat meat that threatens their health. In 2015, the European Union banned all horse meat imports from Mexico — where the great majority of American horses are slaughtered — citing food safety concerns.
To the contrary, national sheltering data shows that 74% of cases where horses ended up at a rescue were due to the owner’s health, age or financial situation, not because of any deficiency of the horse, indicating that the challenge lies in providing support to well-meaning owners during vulnerable moments. These horses could go on to lead productive lives in loving homes if given the chance. Furthermore, a 2017 study found that 2.3 million adults in the U.S. (1.2 million households) have both the desire and resources to immediately adopt a horse, which suggests there are more than enough homes available to provide a soft, safe landing for horses in the slaughter pipeline.
Kill-buyers frequently pose as responsible adopters, tricking owners. In one recent case, a veterinary student took more than 50 horses to slaughter after misleading owners into believing that she would provide the animals with a good permanent home.
Kill pen bail-out operations post horses for sale, typically online. They claim that they’ll send horses to slaughter on a certain date to create a sense of urgency for consumers and potential rescuers to “save” the horses with high “bail” fees. These often-artificial emergencies are designed to prey on the public’s emotions. Payment of the inflated bail price provides significant profit for the kill buyer, which further funds their slaughter-brokerage business. For every one horse bailed by an individual with good intentions to save that horse, a kill buyer may be able to buy several additional horses who they send directly to slaughter.
Kill-buyers regularly attend auctions where they easily outbid individuals who could provide those horses loving homes, which forces rescue groups to divert scarce resources from other lifesaving work to compete with these individuals. So long as there is a profit to be made by kill buyers, horses will continue to fall victim and be shipped to slaughter, and these barriers will remain.
Additionally, the existence of kill buyers delays horse owners from rehoming horses even when the owners know they can’t provide the best care for their horse. Nearly 75% of horse owners who reach out for help through the ASPCA’s Equine Transition and Adoption Center in Texas and Oklahoma have indicated that a fear of slaughter caused them to hold on to their horse longer than expected, delaying horses and families from receiving the support they need.
The House Surface Transportation Bill Also Protects Horses from Transportation in Double-Deck Trailers
While current USDA regulations prohibit the use of double-deck trailers for the transportation of horses to slaughter, they do not bar the transport of horses in double-deck trailers for any other purpose. The Van Drew-Titus Amendment would close this loophole and prohibit their use for transporting horses for any purpose. Double-deck trailers, where two levels are stacked on top of one another, are designed for shorter livestock (such as cattle, pigs or sheep) and are ill-suited for transporting horses. As a result of their height and their need to keep their heads elevated to stay balanced, horses are less able to maintain stability during transit, risking significant injury. The use of double-deck trailers to transport horses has been implicated in horrific traffic accidents after the vehicles tipped over, posing risks not only to the horses inside, but also to drivers and passengers on the road. It is precisely because of these concerns that the USDA issued regulations barring their use for slaughter-bound horses under their authority under the Commercial Transportation of Equines to Slaughter Act.
The double-deck trailer provision is identical to the Horse Transportation Safety Act (H.R. 3623), led by Reps. Steve Cohen (D.-Tenn.), Brian Fitzpatrick (R-Penn.) and Dina Titus (D.-Nev.).
What’s Next
The BUILD America 250 Act now stands as the best chance to finally close the horse slaughter-export loophole for good. In a year focused on celebrating what America stands for, ending the export of American horses to foreign slaughterhouses should be an easy call. Members of Congress should stand by a policy that over 80% of Americans support and ensure the Van Drew-Titus Amendment advances with the BUILD America 250 Act.