Bipartisan measure provides $2 million for USDA Office of Inspector General investigations targeting dogfighting, cockfighting, organized crime, and animal trafficking
WASHINGTON, D.C. — Today, the U.S. House of Representatives approved the Buchanan-Carter Amendment (#101) to the FY2027 Agriculture-FDA Appropriations Act, directing $2 million to the U.S. Department of Agriculture Office of Inspector General (USDA-OIG) to investigate illegal dogfighting and cockfighting operations and pursue the criminal networks that profit from these enterprises.
The amendment, backed by Animal Wellness Action and the Center for a Humane Economy, was led by Rep. Vern Buchanan, R-Fla., and Rep. Troy Carter, D-La., and doubles the level of funding approved by the House for this purpose just three years ago.
“Animal fighting is not merely an animal cruelty issue—it is an organized crime issue, a public safety issue, and a biosecurity issue,” said Wayne Pacelle, president of Animal Wellness Action and the Center for a Humane Economy. “Cockfighting pits and dogfighting ventures are magnets for illegal gambling, narcotics trafficking, money laundering, firearms offenses, and other serious crimes. We applaud Representatives Buchanan and Carter for recognizing that passing laws against animal fighting is only part of the job. We must also provide law enforcement with the resources necessary to enforce them.”
Animal Wellness Action has documented extensive links between cockfighting and organized criminal activity both domestically and internationally. In recent years, multiple mass killings have occurred at cockfighting events in Latin America, including the murders of 12 people at a cockfight in Ecuador in 2025, four people at a Mexican cockfight in 2024, and 20 people at another cockfighting derby in Mexico in 2023. The violence associated with cockfighting extends well beyond the fighting pits. In the Philippines, at least 34 people connected to the cockfighting industry have been officially documented as missing or murdered since 2021, with some estimates placing the true number of victims at nearly 100. Many of the disappearances have been linked to disputes involving illegal gambling, organized crime syndicates, and corruption surrounding the country’s multi-billion-dollar cockfighting industry.
The groups also point to the substantial threat posed by the trafficking of fighting birds. An estimated 20 million fighting birds are kept in the United States, with approximately one million trafficked between the United States and Mexico annually. Smuggled fighting birds have been linked to repeated outbreaks of virulent Newcastle disease, resulting in the destruction of commercial poultry flocks, major economic losses, supply-chain disruptions, and higher costs for consumers.
“Animal fighting is a brutal and inhumane practice that has no place in America. These illegal operations subject animals to horrific abuse and are frequently linked to other serious criminal activity, including illegal gambling, drug trafficking, and organized crime,” said Rep. Buchanan. “That is why I am proud to work with Congressman Troy Carter on this bipartisan amendment to strengthen enforcement of animal welfare laws to protect animals from cruelty.”
Animal Wellness Action noted that the amendment complements two major bipartisan legislative initiatives pending before Congress. The Fighting Inhumane Gambling and High-Risk Trafficking (FIGHT) Act, led by Senators John Kennedy, R-La., and Cory Booker, D-N.J., and Representatives Don Bacon, R-Neb., and Andrea Salinas, D-Ore., would strengthen federal enforcement tools against animal fighting by targeting illegal gambling, animal trafficking, and other criminal conduct associated with cockfighting and dogfighting enterprises. The legislation has garnered more bipartisan support than any animal welfare bill introduced in recent Congresses and has been endorsed by more than 1,000 organizations, including the National Sheriffs’ Association, the National District Attorneys Association, the American Gaming Association, and United Egg Producers.
The organization is also advocating for passage of the No Flight, No Fight Act, led by Rep. Troy Nehls, R-Texas, to stop the trafficking of fighting birds through commercial aviation. Animal Wellness Action investigators recently uncovered a Dallas-based operation brokering fighting birds for shipment to the Philippines, where organized crime networks profit from a multi-billion-dollar cockfighting industry. The measure would help halt the movement of fighting birds across international borders while reducing the risk of spreading dangerous avian diseases, including H5N1 and virulent Newcastle disease.
“The Buchanan-Carter amendment provides critically needed resources for enforcement, but Congress must also strengthen the law itself,” Pacelle said. “The FIGHT Act and the No Flight, No Fight Act would give federal authorities additional tools to dismantle criminal animal fighting networks, stop the trafficking of fighting birds, and protect both public safety and American agriculture.”
Animal Wellness Action thanked House members from both parties for supporting the amendment and urged the Senate to retain the funding provision as Congress completes work on the FY2027 appropriations process while advancing the FIGHT Act and the No Flight, No Fight Act.