The recently introduced Ending Agricultural Trade Suppression (EATS) Act (HR 4417/S 2019) is not only a dangerous step backward for animal welfare, but an unconstitutional affront to states’ rights and American society at large. I urge my fellow Pennsylvanians and animal lovers to speak out against the EATS Act and to thank Rep. Summer Lee and Sen. Bob Casey for opposing the EATS Act and urge Sen. John Fetterman to oppose it.
The EATS Act directly violates the 10th Amendment principle which provides that Congress cannot prohibit states from creating legislation to protect public health and welfare, and would roll back many animal welfare regulations.
A letter recently sent to members of the U.S. House Committee on Agriculture by 169 members of the U.S. House of Representatives echoed these concerns, noting that the bill would “threaten many other state laws” and “drastically broaden the scope of federal preemption and impede the ability of voters and elected officials to enact laws that address local concerns.”
Please join me in urging our lawmakers to oppose the EATS Act and make sure it is excluded from the 2023 Farm Bill.
Micah Wintner
Munhall