WASHINGTON, February 28, 2026 — A quiet rollback of animal protection measures is underway at the federal level, sparking concern among advocates who say the Biden administration’s progress is being reversed. The Department of Justice is actively challenging established animal welfare laws, including Proposition 12, a landmark California law protecting farmed animals, which the Supreme Court recently upheld.
A Two-Tiered System of Animal Welfare?
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The current administration’s actions signal a troubling shift in how animal welfare is prioritized, raising questions about the influence of industry interests.
- The USDA and DOJ are suing to block animal protection laws in California and Michigan.
- Officials are downplaying the impact of these laws on food prices, attributing them instead to industry practices like price fixing and avian flu.
- The administration’s dietary guidelines are seen as favoring the interests of Big Meat and Big Dairy over public health.
- The Secretary of the Interior is promoting trophy hunting, contradicting previous efforts to combat wildlife trafficking.
The Department of Justice is reinforcing these attacks with lawsuits designed to undermine key animal protection statutes. Alongside the USDA, they are adopting a position similar to the previous administration’s opposition to voter-supported reforms in the agricultural sector, but with increased legal pressure, specifically targeting laws in California and Michigan. Rather than acknowledging factors like industry price fixing and avian flu, officials suggest that higher egg and pork prices are a direct result of these protective laws.
What explains the conflicting signals on animal welfare? The selective application of animal welfare principles isn’t new, but the current federal approach is particularly conspicuous. Too many appointed and elected officials appear to be prioritizing the demands of industry groups over the well-being of animals and the will of the public.
This isn’t a partisan issue. Democrats, Republicans, and Independents alike are susceptible to industry influence, creating a pattern of prioritizing special interests over public opinion. The public’s views should be the driving force behind federal policy, not the economic agendas of groups like the National Pork Producers Council, those involved in horse soring, or the trophy hunting lobby.
The Horse Soring Rule: A Critical Test
The ongoing debate over the horse soring rule serves as a crucial test for the current administration. The proposed rule, intended to end industry self-policing and halt the deliberate infliction of pain on horses to achieve an exaggerated gait in competition, reflects years of investigation, public input, and administrative review. Industry self-policing has demonstrably failed horses for decades, allowing widespread abuse to continue, as repeatedly documented, and revealed in undercover investigations. The rule, which enjoys bipartisan support, would establish a federally supervised inspection system to prevent sored horses from competing.
The USDA has a statutory obligation to enforce the Horse Protection Act and should fully embrace its animal protection duties in all areas within its purview.
Beyond Horses: Dietary Guidelines and Trophy Hunting
Concerns extend beyond horse soring. While Secretary Kennedy’s commitment to advancing alternatives to animal testing within the National Institutes of Health and the Food and Drug Administration is encouraging, the recently announced dietary guidelines, developed with Secretary Rollins, appear to prioritize the interests of Big Meat and Big Dairy over public health. These guidelines seem to promote an unbalanced dietary approach.
Furthermore, Secretary of the Interior Doug Burgum’s recent correspondence with U.K. politicians, promoting the benefits of trophy hunting, stands in stark contrast to previous efforts by the Trump administration—including the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service—and U.S. lawmakers to combat global wildlife trafficking. Disjointed regulations governing the legal wildlife trade create loopholes that can be exploited by traffickers.
Tell the USDA to end horse soring now.
