Congressional roundup: Banning commercial wildlife markets

U.S. Rep. Paul Tonko, D-Amsterdam, is a co-sponsor of legislation to end the import and sale of wildlife for human consumption in the United States.

Sponsors of the legislation and animal rights groups say foreign wildlife markets are believed to be connected with the start of pandemics, including COVID-19.

“For the sake of our health, our economy, and our livelihoods, preventing the next pandemic before it starts is perhaps the most important thing we can do,” said Rep. Mike Quigley, D-IL, original co-sponsor with Rep. Fred Upton, R-MI, of HR 151.

The legislation had 50 co-sponsors — 47 Democrats and three Republicans — as of Jan. 22, according to the Library of Congress government information website.

Specifically, the legislation would direct the following:

• Establish the official foreign policy of the United States to work with state and non-state partners to shut down commercial wildlife markets, end the trade in terrestrial wildlife for human consumption, and build international coalitions to reduce the demand for wildlife as food, recognizing that there are still rural communities around the world that lack adequate alternative food sources.
• Give the State Department a wide variety of tools, including economic and diplomatic penalties, to crack down on wildlife markets and the global wildlife trade for human consumption.
• Authorize funding for USAID to work on reducing demand for consumption of wildlife from wildlife markets and support shifts to diversified alternative sources of food and protein in communities that rely upon the consumption of wildlife for food security while ensuring that existing wildlife habitat is not encroached upon or destroyed as part of this process.
• Prohibit the import, export and sale of live wildlife in the United States for purposes of human consumption as food or medicine.
• Authorize the hiring and international deployment of 50 new U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Law Enforcement Attachés in an effort to disrupt illegal wildlife trafficking abroad.

U.S. Sens. Cory Booker, D-NJ, and John Coryn, R-TX, are introducing companion legislation, according to Quigley’s office.

In other legislation backed by regional House members:

• Rep. Anthony Delgado, D-Rhinebeck, co-sponsored HR 148 — legislation to provide a working opportunity tax credit for military spouses and to provide for flexible spending arrangement for childcare services.

The legislation had eight co-sponsors — five Republicans and three Democrats — as of Jan. 22.

• Rep. Elise Stefanik, R-Schuylerville, co-sponsored HR 261 to impose sanctions related to foreign terrorism in Palestine.

The legislation had 12 co-sponsors — eight Republicans and four Democrats — as of Jan. 22.

• Stefanik co-sponsored HR 28 — legislation to prohibit federal COVID-19 response funding to be used for abortions.

The legislation had 99 co-sponsors — all Republicans — as of July 22.

• Tonko co-sponsored HR 279 — legislation to strengthen a rule prohibiting construction of roads on protected areas of federal forest land by making the rule a law.

The legislation had 68 co-sponsors — all Democratic — as of Jan. 22.

• Tonko and Delgado co-sponsored H.J. Res. 17, which would remove a deadline for states to ratify the Equal Rights Act.

The legislation had 195 co-sponsors — 194 Democrats and one Republican, Rep. Thomas Reed of NY-23 — as of Jan. 22.

Maury Thompson is a freelance writer who covers the 19th, 20th, 21st and 22nd congressional districts of New York.