U.S. House Takes Action on Legislation to End the Brutal Butcher of American Equines The U.S. House held hearings on the slaughter of American horses for overseas markets for human consumption. The House Energy and Commerce Committee's Health Subcommittee heard testimony on the Safeguard American Food Exports (SAFE) Act, H.R. 961. The Senate companion, S. 2006, was introduced by U.S. Sens. Bob Menendez (D-NJ) and Lindsey Graham (R-SC) last year. Marty Irby of Animal Wellness Action spoke before the U.S. House. "The slaughter of our iconic American equines is cruel and terrifying, and these creatures have done nothing to warrant this." The slaughter of American equines for human consumption killed 70,000 horses in 2018–most of them perfectly healthy. Horse slaughter is cruelty and suffering: The horses are transported long distances without food or water. Wild horses are also at risk, as some groups have put forth a dangerous proposal to roundup 130,000 wild horses.