H.R. 1661: SAFE Act of 2025

119th Congress · introduced 2025-02-27 · Agriculture and Food · Latest: Referred to the Subcommittee on Livestock, Dairy, and Poultry.

federal

What does this mean?

Official title

SAFE Act of 2025

Plain summary

Save America's Forgotten Equines Act of 2025 or the SAFE Act of 2025 This bill permanently prohibits the slaughter of equines (e.g., horses and mules) for human consumption. (Current law prohibits the slaughter of dogs and cats for human consumption. This bill extends the prohibition to equines.) Specifically, this bill prohibits a person from knowingly (1) slaughtering an equine for human consumption; or (2) shipping, transporting, possessing, purchasing, selling, or donating an equine to be slaughtered for human consumption or equine parts for human consumption. The bill subjects a violator to a fine. The bill applies to conduct in or affecting interstate or foreign commerce or within the special maritime and territorial jurisdiction of the United States. However, it does not apply to an activity carried out by an Indian for a religious ceremony. As background, in recent years, the appropriations acts have prohibited the Department of Agriculture (USDA) from using federal funds to inspect horses before they are slaughtered for human consumption. Therefore, there are currently no USDA-inspected horse slaughter facilities in the United States.

Congressional Research Service summary (Introduced in House), quoted unchanged (nonpartisan). Read the source.

What a vote does

A “Yea” vote

If it passes both chambers and is signed, it becomes law.

A “Nay” vote

If it is not passed, current law stays as it is.

PSI Sci description of the legislative step (not an opinion).

What does this mean? (plain words)

Official text

SAFE Act of 2025

Source: Congressional Research Service summary (Introduced in House)

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The strongest published arguments

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Officials and money

Sponsor: Rep. Buchanan, Vern [R-FL-16] · 238 cosponsors

Cost estimate: No cost estimate published yet.

Cosponsors on this site

Janice D. Schakowsky (D-IL), Troy E. Nehls (R-TX), Donald S. Beyer, Jr. (D-VA), Juan Ciscomani (R-AZ), Emanuel Cleaver (D-MO), Claudia Tenney (R-NY), Henry C. "Hank" Johnson, Jr. (D-GA), Young Kim (R-CA), Bill Foster (D-IL), W. Gregory Steube (R-FL), Lucy McBath (D-GA), Christopher H. Smith (R-NJ), Veronica Escobar (D-TX), Brian K. Fitzpatrick (R-PA), Andy Barr (R-KY), Mike Quigley (D-IL), Mike Carey (R-OH), Debbie Dingell (D-MI), Stephen F. Lynch (D-MA), Shri Thanedar (D-MI), Nick LaLota (R-NY), Adriano Espaillat (D-NY), Troy A. Carter (D-LA), Sharice Davids (D-KS), Grace Meng (D-NY), Chellie Pingree (D-ME), Nicole Malliotakis (R-NY), Mark Pocan (D-WI), Lori Trahan (D-MA), Morgan McGarvey (D-KY), Mark Takano (D-CA), Melanie A. Stansbury (D-NM), Nikki Budzinski (D-IL), Marc A. Veasey (D-TX), Greg Stanton (D-AZ), Adam Smith (D-WA), Josh Harder (D-CA), Frank J. Mrvan (D-IN), Judy Chu (D-CA), Andrea Salinas (D-OR), Steven Horsford (D-NV), Steve Cohen (D-TN), Ro Khanna (D-CA), Mary Gay Scanlon (D-PA), Doris O. Matsui (D-CA), Lloyd Doggett (D-TX), André Carson (D-IN), Suzan K. DelBene (D-WA), Marie Gluesenkamp Perez (D-WA), Ilhan Omar (D-MN), Betty McCollum (D-MN), Jill N. Tokuda (D-HI), Kevin Mullin (D-CA), Jesús G. "Chuy" García (D-IL), Robert Garcia (D-CA), Eric Sorensen (D-IL), J. Luis Correa (D-CA), Ted Lieu (D-CA), Ritchie Torres (D-NY) and 178 more.

Sponsor's campaign money: Rep. Buchanan, Vern [R-FL-16] reported raising $932,898 (2025–2026). Details. Shown for context only; it does not mean any donor supported this bill.

Words on this page, explained (3)

Appropriation: Money a legislature sets aside by law for a specific purpose. Government agencies may spend public money only as it has been appropriated.
Bill: A proposed law. It becomes law only if it passes the legislature and is signed by the president or governor (or a veto is overridden).
Jurisdiction: The area or the matters a government or court has authority over.

Plain meanings written from linked sources. All words.

Sources

Congressional Research Service summary (Introduced in House)
Congress.gov
Data: GovInfo BILLSTATUS bulk data (Library of Congress), BILLSTATUS-119hr1661.xml <https://www.govinfo.gov/bulkdata/BILLSTATUS/119/hr>

Record fed-us-cong119-hr1661 · catalog fed-us-congress-bills-cong119 · updated 2026-11-03 by psicol fed-bills