Debate Rages as Congress Mulls Ban on Horse Slaughter

Congress lifts ban on funding horse meat inspections

(NEWSER) - When Congress passed a spending bill earlier this month to keep the government from shutting down, it quietly lifted a funding ban on horse meat inspections—meaning horses can once again be butchered in the US for human consumption, and slaughterhouses could open within 30 to 90 days. The US has no outright ban on horse slaughter, although two states do ban it and many others regulate the sale of horse meat, but funding for horse meat inspections was cut off in 2006. Congress did not allocate new money to pay for inspections, meaning the USDA would have to find the money within its own struggling budget. More»

The way we treat thoroughbreds is a disgrace, says Marlene Fanta Shyer

(NEWSER) - You might imagine that the horses who run in tomorrow’s Kentucky Derby live lives of "pampered luxury." But you’d be wrong, writes Marlene Fanta Shyer in the Christian Science Monitor . “The truth is often closer to years of abuse and a brutal end at a foreign slaughterhouse.” The vast majority of these horses are given Phenylbutazone, or “bute,” to help them run while injured, which can cause kidney damage, internal hemorrhaging, and other problems. More»

Calls funds for staffing, fence repairs an 'emergency'

(NEWSER) - With Arizona's controversial new anti-illegal-immigrant law being blamed on weak federal enforcement, Barack Obama has formally asked Nancy Pelosi for $600 million to beef up security along the US/Mexico border. The president says the request will address “urgent and essential needs” and should be considered an emergency. The money would be used to buy two security drones and hire 1,000 additional Border Patrol agents, along with more agents for ICE, the FBI and the DEA, the LA Times reports. More»

(NEWSER) - Lackluster support for immigration reform has forced President Obama to be purposefully vague about a timeline for legislation, Michael Muskal writes in the Los Angeles Times. “I’m committed to passing comprehensive immigration reform,” Obama told Latino leaders today. But his “vague language on timing for immigration reform is in sharp contrast to the way he describes other issues,” Muskal notes. More»

Massa says swine flu necessitates 'immediate' closure

(NEWSER) - A Democratic member of the House Homeland Security Committee has called for the US-Mexico border to be closed as the number of swine flu cases continues to mount, reports the Hill. Eric Massa of New York said that swine flu is "a serious threat to the health of the American public" and that the border should be shut "immediately and completely until this is resolved." So far cases have been reported in three American states, but none have been fatal. More»