Animal Advocates, Get Ready: Congress Is Coming Home!

The past month has been busy for Congress: they made many decisions about domestic and wild horse welfare. When they return to D.C. in September, they will cement these decisions about whether we reopen slaughterhouses on our soil and kill off thousands of healthy wild horses.

If you are part of the 80% of Americans who oppose the slaughter or unnecessary killing of our horses, there is no better time than now to make yourself heard. Most members of Congress spend August at home in their districts reconnecting with voters. They want to hear from you, so this is your chance to express concerns over the current threats to equine welfare.

Elected officials often attend local events, hold town hall meetings and meet one-on-one with constituents throughout August. Here are the two most effective ways you can communicate with them:

• Schedule an in-person meeting with your legislator or one of their district staff.
   
• If you’re unable to schedule an in-person meeting, a town hall is another good setting to express your interest in protecting horses.

Use the form below to find phone numbers for your U.S. representative and two U.S. senators, and then call their local offices to ask about their August recess schedules or set up in-office meetings. Save this fact sheet [PDF] to your phone or print it out for easy reference during your meeting.

We also encourage you to visit your members’ websites and sign up for their newsletters—this is how many legislators publicize their town hall schedules and other appearances.

If you’re unable to schedule a meeting, your legislator doesn’t have any public appearances scheduled, or you just want more information on equine advocacy or need talking points for your meetings or town hall attendance, please reach out to our Legislative Engagement Team at grassroots@aspca.org. We’re here as your resource and will help you every step of the way!

There is still time to protect America’s horses, but not much time. Only you can make the difference this summer—take action and let’s raise our collective voice for our horses.