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WASHINGTON (August 20, 2026)\u2014Humane World Action Fund<\/a>, formerly called Humane Society Legislation Fund, the nation\u2019s leading political animal advocacy organization, released the following statement regarding Senate candidate Ken Paxton\u2019s animal welfare record as a state legislator and attorney general.<\/p>\n \u201cKen Paxton has consistently missed the mark for Texans who care about animals. With respect to animal use in research and testing he\u2019s way out of step with the Trump Administration\u2019s leadership not simply in protecting animals used in laboratories, but in pressing the case to end animal use altogether. Trump\u2019s National Institutes of Health, Food and Drug Administration and Environmental Protection Agency are all pushing for a day when animals are no longer used,\u201d said Sara Amundson, president of Humane World Action Fund. \u201cAs Texas Attorney General, Paxton cloaked horrific research and testing protocols using animals from public scrutiny, in a plodding legal opinion that hasn\u2019t worn well. There is no reason to think he\u2019d be any better as a senator voting on Animal Welfare Act amendments or any other reasonable legislation extending mercy to animals.\u201d<\/p>\n On the separate issue of animal care costs accrued in cases of animal cruelty and abuse, Amundson said, \u201cIn state after state, we\u2019ve seen legislation passed to address the costs to taxpayers and animal rescue organizations asked to shoulder the financial burden of caring for animals seized in cases of alleged abuse or neglect. It\u2019s the perpetrators of cruelty who should cover the costs of animals\u2019 care, not governments, citizens or animal rescue organizations. Cost-of-care legislation removes this significant obstacle to the enforcement of animal protection laws, but when it came to a vote in the Texas House of Representatives, Paxton was one of the few legislators to reject this commonsense measure.\u201d<\/p>\n Texas continues to make progress in addressing animal cruelty. Last year, the state legislature passed Pancho\u2019s Law<\/a> to close a long-standing loophole in Texas\u2019 animal cruelty statute by allowing prosecution of acts of cruelty committed with criminal negligence. And there is every reason to believe that Texans expect to see their elected officials at the federal level to support popular legislation that brings benefits to both animals and people.<\/p>\n \u201cMembers of the U.S. Senate will be called upon to consider legislation that addresses painful and unnecessary experiments on animals,\u201d said Brad Pyle, political director for Humane World Action Fund. \u201cTexans deserve to know whether the candidates seeking to represent them will support meaningful measures to reduce animal suffering, advance humane alternatives, and ensure greater accountability in research involving animals. Before casting their ballots in November, voters should ask each candidate where they stand and whether they are prepared to champion policies that protect animals from needless harm.<\/p>\n Background on HB 963<\/strong><\/p>\n Background on animals used in research at Texas A&M<\/strong><\/p>\n Media Contact:<\/strong> Emily Gugel, 202-779-1814, egugel@humaneworld.org<\/a>\u00a0<\/p>\n Paid for by Humane World Action Fund and not authorized by any candidate or candidate\u2019s committee. Humane World Action Fund, 1255 23rd Street, NW, Suite 455, Washington, DC 20037.<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n
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