Ensuring Congress is informed of the vital role veterinary medicine plays in research, public health, food safety, and the economy is the goal of a newly established bipartisan group in Washington.
For the first time in its history, the U.S. Senate has established a Veterinary Medicine Caucus, aimed at educating lawmakers and their staffs about the challenges facing the profession and advancing legislation that benefits the veterinary community.
In years past, the House of Representatives Veterinary Medicine Caucus led the way in introducing key legislation impacting veterinary medicine, including the Rural Veterinary Workforce Act (formerly known as the Veterinary Medicine Loan Repayment Program Enhancement Act), the One Health Act, where key components of the legislation were enacted into law, and the Healthy Dog Importation Act. The Senate caucus will extend these efforts to its side of the chamber, while also helping secure important funding for veterinary-related federal programs.
The formation of the caucus has been applauded by the American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA) and the American Association of Veterinary Medical Colleges (AAVMC).
“Promoting, protecting, and advancing the veterinary profession are three of the AVMA’s guiding principles and we are thrilled the Senate has established a Veterinary Medicine Caucus that will help to achieve these goals in Congress,” says AVMA’s president, Rena Carlson, DVM. “Veterinarians have the unique perspective as health professionals who play a leadership role in protecting the health of animals, humans, and the environment, and amplifying this perspective is critical to the well-being of our society.”
The caucus will be led by co-chairs Sens. Cindy Hyde-Smith (R-Miss.) and Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.).
“The challenges facing the veterinary profession have the potential to harm broad segments of our society, particularly in rural America where a growing shortage of large animal veterinarians is critical,” says Sen. Hyde-Smith. “We formed this bipartisan caucus to focus attention on those issues in order to develop and enact policies that make this vital industry stronger.”
“Veterinarians provide a critical service to farmers, ranchers, and families,” adds Sen. Klobuchar. “The Senate Veterinary Medicine Caucus will give Congress new opportunities to work with veterinarians across the country to better support medical advancements, protect our nation’s food supply, and ensure the prevention of animal disease.”