“If this bill passes, our movement could be set back decades.”

That's from a memo that came across my desk today. I want to let it sit for a second. Because this is one of those moments when everything comes into focus. 

Just weeks ago, the US Supreme Court upheld the world’s strongest animal protection law, Proposition 12. The landmark ruling promised animals enough space to turn around, stand up, and stretch their limbs—and it was an unprecedented victory for our movement. But before the ink had dried, Big Meat was already threatening to strike back. 

Today, that threat has arrived.

Here's some context. Supporters of the EATS (“Ending Agricultural Trade Suppression”) Act want these harmful provisions added to the Farm Bill, a piece of legislation that is renewed every five years in Congress and has the power to shape the entire US food system. The Farm Bill allocates federal spending for how we grow and distribute food crops—influencing farming practices, nutrition, and communities across the country. Senators have just introduced the EATS Act in direct response to our Prop 12 victory.*

*Senator Chuck Grassley was quoted as saying, “Congress can and should introduce legislation to reverse Prop 12.” Their words, not ours. 

The EATS Act is a rebranded version of the discredited King Amendment, which received overwhelming bipartisan opposition when former Rep. Steve King (R-Iowa) tried to attach it to previous Farm Bills. Over and over, advocates have successfully mobilized to argue that states can regulate the sale of agricultural products within their borders. And now, we have to work together to defeat this bill yet again.  

The EATS Act would unravel almost every inch of legislative progress our movement has made—including Proposition 12, protections for dogs in puppy mills, laws banning the sale of force-fed foie gras, bans on the sale of eggs from hens raised in battery cages, protections against painful animal experimentation for cosmetic testing, and more. But that's not even the worst part. The bill would also prevent future animal protections like these. If the EATS Act passes, many of the legal protections we’ve been dreaming about will never be possible in our lifetimes.

And the harms go beyond animals. State laws protecting human health, children, and consumers are also at risk. Child labor. Pesticides and sewage sprayed on crops. Arsenic in food. Lead poisoning. The most basic public health protections hang in the balance. 

Defeating this bill could be some of the most important work we’ve ever done. With this one piece of legislation, decades of past and future progress for animals could be wiped out.

Send this to your friends. Send this to your family. And above all, send a message to your senators and representatives. Urge them to oppose the EATS Act or any bill like it. Tell them you care deeply about the animals most of us never get to see. Tell them that compassion matters more to you than corporate profits.

Sometimes it feels like we’re climbing a mountain that just keeps getting taller. And we’re gearing up for a long and difficult fight—maybe even into next year. So I also want to take a moment to be honest about compassion fatigue. I know these constant battles are exhausting. I know they’re infuriating. And I know that the stakes are utterly heart-wrenching. 

That’s why it means so much that you’re still here. Showing up. Fighting back. Raising your voice for justice, for kindness, and for the animals.

For too long, legislation like the EATS Act has benefited a wealthy few at the expense of animals, people, and the planet. It’s time to stop propping up a factory farming system that’s fundamentally broken. It’s time to stop subjecting animals to the worst abuses imaginable. It’s time to free our food system from the grip of greedy corporations. 

It’s time to show them what we’ve got.  

For the animals,

P.S. I deeply appreciate everything you’ve given, and continue to give, to this movement. Especially in moments like this one. Thank you.