![\"Trump](\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.animals24-7.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/Picsart_25-02-13_19-19-29-020-e1739503203770.jpg?ssl=1\")
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<\/a> (Beth Clifton collage)<\/strong><\/em><\/div>\n \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 WASHINGTON D.C.\u2013\u2013<\/strong>Animal advocates,\u00a0 depending on priority issues, \u00a0on February 12 and 13,\u00a0 2025 responded with both guarded hope and anxious nausea to the latest Donald Trump appointments to senior administration posts.<\/p>\n Among the flurry of appointments of relevance to animal concerns were the February 13,\u00a0 2025 confirmation of Robert J. Kennedy Jr.<\/strong> to head the federal Department of Health & Human Services; \u00a0the February 12,\u00a0 2025 confirmation of Tulsi Gabbard<\/strong> as director of national intelligence; \u00a0\u00a0the February 12,\u00a0 2025 nomination of Brian Nesvik<\/strong> to direct the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service;\u00a0 the February 13,\u00a0 2025 confirmation of Kash Patel<\/strong> to head the Federal Bureau of Investigation;\u00a0 and the February 13,\u00a0 2025 appointment of Usha Vance<\/strong> to the board of trustees at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington D.C.<\/p>\n <\/a> Robert F. Kennedy Jr. (Beth Clifton collage)<\/strong><\/em><\/div>\n Robert F. Kennedy Jr.<\/strong>,\u00a0 70,\u00a0 will potentially have the most influence on animal issues.\u00a0 Under his jurisdiction will be the National Institutes of Health,\u00a0 the largest funder of biomedical research in the U.S. and the world,\u00a0 including animal experiments;\u00a0 the Centers for Disease Control & Prevention,\u00a0 which has the leading role in responding to zoonotic disease outbreaks,\u00a0 meaning diseases transmitted to humans by animals,\u00a0 for instance the avian influenza H5N1;\u00a0 and the Food & Drug Administration,\u00a0 whose rules and regulations impose the most requirements for animal testing of new products and therapeutic procedures.<\/p>\n Kennedy,\u00a0 however,\u00a0 is no anti-vivisectionist.\u00a0 Kennedy,\u00a0 though a leading anti-vaxxer, \u00a0and by implication therefore skeptical of the use of animal testing to demonstrate safety,\u00a0 has no actual record in categorial opposition to animal use in biomedical research.<\/p>\n Kennedy has also been highly critical of fast food,\u00a0 but is not a vegan,\u00a0 nor even a vegetarian,\u00a0 and appears actually to be a heavy meat-eater.<\/p>\n <\/a> (Beth Clifton photo)<\/strong><\/em><\/div>\n Further,\u00a0 Kennedy has been a sport hunter and falconer for most of his life.\u00a0 His apparent dalliance with animal advocacy during the first decade of the present century coincided with his former occupation of prosecuting factory pig farmers over pollution issues,\u00a0 as an environmental lawyer representing the Natural Resources Defense Council, Riverkeeper,\u00a0 and Waterkeeper Alliance.<\/p>\n Kennedy left those organizations to pursue his anti-vaccination campaigns in 2017.\u00a0\u00a0 His most recent public statements against factory pig farming were apparently made on June 20,\u00a0 2009 during a visit to Poland.<\/p>\n Inasmuch as eight of the 42 states that Donald Trump won in the November 2024 U.S. national election are among the 10 leading states in pig production,\u00a0 it is unlikely that Robert F. Kennedy Jr. will resume speaking out against factory pig farming.<\/p>\n (See RFK Jr., named to head Health & Human Services, offers little for animals<\/a><\/em><\/strong>.)<\/em><\/p>\n <\/a> Tulsi Gabbard.\u00a0 <\/strong><\/em>(Beth Clifton collage)<\/strong><\/em><\/div>\n Tulsi Gabbard,\u00a0 <\/strong>43, as director of national intelligence,\u00a0 is expected to have little or nothing directly to do with animal issues.<\/p>\n However,\u00a0 Gabbard is a lifelong vegetarian,\u00a0 including throughout more than 20 years of U.S. Army service,\u00a0 during which she was twice deployed to the Middle East.<\/p>\n Gabbard,\u00a0 offered the Humane Society Legislative Fund in 2019,\u00a0\u00a0was \u201ca consistent supporter of animal protection legislation\u201d as a member of the U.S. House of Representatives,\u201d\u00a0 representing Hawaii from 2013 to 2021.<\/p>\n <\/a> (Beth Clifton collage)<\/strong><\/em><\/div>\n Gabbard,\u00a0 the Humane Society Legislative Fund detailed, \u00a0cosponsored \u201clegislation to end the domestic shark fin trade, \u00a0create a felony penalty for malicious animal cruelty, \u00a0and crack down on puppy mills,\u201d\u00a0 and \u201cvoted for the PAST Act,\u00a0 which would end horse soring abuses.<\/p>\n \u201cPreviously,\u201d\u00a0 the Humane Society Legislative Fund said,\u00a0 Gabbard,\u00a0 born in American Samoa,\u00a0 \u201cvoted to crack down on animal fighting in the U.S. territories, \u00a0and against stripping Endangered Species Act protections from gray wolves in the Lower 48 states,\u201d\u00a0 a position that put her in direct opposition to U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service director nominee Brian Nesvik,<\/p>\n Gabbard also told Jasmin Singer of\u00a0VegNews<\/em>,\u00a0 in an interview published on February 19,\u00a0 2020,\u00a0 \u201cFactory farms have to be a thing of the past.\u00a0 Supporting more ethical and organic farming has to be the place that we go when it comes to farming,\u201d\u00a0 Gabbard insisted,\u00a0 also arguing for \u201cEnding animal testing,\u201d\u00a0 and \u00a0\u201cTo ban puppy mills.\u201d<\/p>\n <\/a> Brian Nesvik, director of Fish & Wildlife Service. (Wyoming Game and Fish Department photo)<\/strong><\/em><\/div>\n The nomination of Nesvik, \u00a044, \u00a0to head the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service appears to have been praised by only one major organization focused on wildlife and habitat,\u00a0 the pro-hunting National Wildlife Federation,\u00a0 which originated as the umbrella for 48 state hunting clubs in 1936,\u00a0 and has never strayed far from representing hunter interests.<\/p>\n Nesvik,\u00a0 director of the Wyoming\u2019s Game & Fish Department from 2019 until his retirement in 2024,\u00a0 \u201chas a great deal of experience managing wildlife and people as well as enforcing the law as a wildlife manager, \u00a0game warden, \u00a0and leader of the wildlife agency and national guard in Wyoming,\u201d\u00a0 National Wildlife Federation spokesperson Mary Jo Brooks offered in a prepared media statement.<\/p>\n Elaborated Mike Leahy, \u00a0National Wildlife Federation senior director of wildlife, hunting, and fishing policy,\u00a0 Nesvik \u201chas been a particularly strong proponent for conserving big game migration corridors and expanding hunting and fishing in Wyoming.\u201d<\/p>\n <\/a> (Beth Clifton collage)<\/strong><\/em><\/div>\n Responded the Sierra Club,\u00a0 also in a prepared statement,\u00a0 \u201cNesvik\u2019s tenure in Wyoming was marked by controversy. \u00a0He was tasked with implementing a new agency plan for managing elk feed grounds in the state, \u00a0a unique practice among Rocky Mountain states, \u00a0to which many attribute the spread of disease among the state\u2019s elk population,\u201d\u00a0 particularly including brucellosis,\u00a0 also \u201cincluding hoof rot,\u00a0 which several years ago led to the death of half of the elk calves on one feed ground.\u201d<\/p>\n Further,\u00a0 the Sierra Club reminded,\u00a0 Nesvik \u201chas testified before Congress calling for the removal of Endangered Species Act protections for grizzly bears.<\/p>\n \u201cUnder Nesvik\u2019s leadership,\u201d\u00a0 the Sierra Club statement continued, \u00a0\u201cWyoming has implemented killing wolves by any means in an effort to drive numbers to bare minimums, \u00a0and [Nesvik] has made clear he wants to do the same thing to grizzly bears, \u00a0which would undo decades of work to recover the species.<\/p>\n \u201cThe nomination of Nesvik appears to advance the Trump administration\u2019s long-standing anti-wildlife sentiments,\u201d\u00a0 the Sierra Club statement concluded.<\/p>\n <\/a> Spotted owl, grizzly bear, & hunter.<\/strong><\/em> \u201cTrump is declaring war on wolves, \u00a0grizzly bears, \u00a0and imperiled wildlife across America by picking Nesvik to run the Fish & Wildlife Service,\u201d \u00a0charged Center for Biological Diversity deputy director of government affairs Stephanie Kurose.<\/p>\n \u201cIn Wyoming,\u201d\u00a0 Kurose recalled, \u00a0\u201cNesvik led one of the most anti-conservation wildlife agencies in the country, \u00a0and it is glaringly obvious that he wants to destroy the Endangered Species Act.\u00a0 You only put a guy like this in charge of protecting endangered animals if you want them wiped out.\u201d<\/p>\n For example,\u00a0 Kuroise continued,\u00a0 \u201cIn 2020 Nesvik joined the Wyoming Stock Growers Association in stating that the Endangered Species Act \u2018must be pruned.\u2019<\/p>\n <\/a> Sage grouse. (Beth Clifton collage)<\/strong><\/em><\/div>\n \u201cDuring the Obama administration, \u00a0Nesvik supported former Wyoming governor Matt Mead\u2019s efforts to weaken the Endangered Species Act,\u201d\u00a0 including calling \u201cfor weaker protection of all species listed as \u2018threatened,\u2019 \u00a0ignoring threats to endangered species from climate change,\u00a0 and increasing \u2018regulatory flexibility\u2019 for extractive industries to harm endangered species.<\/p>\n \u201cMore recently,\u201d\u00a0 Kurose mentioned,\u00a0 \u201cNesvik vocally opposed efforts to protect and conserve sage grouse populations from threats to their habitat from the oil and gas industry, \u00a0as well as grazing, after the first Trump administration weakened protections for the bird.\u201d<\/p>\n <\/a> (Beth Clifton collage)<\/strong><\/em><\/div>\n Added Wayne Pacelle,\u00a0 president of Animal Wellness Action and the Center for a Humane Economy.\u00a0 \u201cBrian Nesvik seemed like a spectator rather than a leader in the wake of Cody Robert\u2019s maiming and crushing an adolescent female with a snowmobile.\u00a0 A leader of a state wildlife agency should have demanded not only the prosecution of the perpetrator, \u00a0but more importantly, \u00a0a new policy to forbid this sadism.<\/p>\n \u201cHis reluctant participation in the post-killing debate,\u201d\u00a0 Pacelle charged, \u00a0\u201ctells all of us that we can expect he will not be a contributor to wildlife protection in America during his tenure.<\/p>\n \u201cIf you cannot stand forthrightly against this kind of cruelty to wildlife,\u201d\u00a0 Pacelle finished, \u00a0then you will be silent or complicit with just about any other form of abuse.\u201d<\/p>\n (See Snowmobile wolf lynching puts Wyoming, Idaho, & Montana on trial<\/a> and Managing wolf hatred, by Robert Schmidt<\/a>.)<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n ANIMALS 24-7<\/strong> in a search of news media going back to 2005 found not a single instance of Nesvik favoring any species of wildlife over the demands of sport hunters.<\/p>\n <\/a> Kash Patel. (TikTok photo)<\/strong><\/em><\/div>\n Kash Patel,\u00a0 44,\u00a0 as FBI director,\u00a0 will have involvement in animal issues in two major areas:\u00a0 in enforcing the rarely used Animal Enterprise Terrorism Act,\u00a0 and in providing backup to other agencies,\u00a0 chiefly the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service,\u00a0 U.S. Forest Service,\u00a0 U.S. Customs & Border Protection Service,\u00a0 and U.S. Department of Agriculture, \u00a0in enforcing laws prohibiting wildlife trafficking,\u00a0 cockfighting,\u00a0 and dogfighting.<\/p>\n Patel appears to have had no relevant experience in any of those areas.<\/p>\n Animal advocates have hoped,\u00a0 since Kash Patel is reportedly a devout Hindu,\u00a0 that he might also be vegetarian,\u00a0 but Distractify<\/em> writer Jennifer Farrington dashed that hope on December 1,\u00a0 2024.<\/p>\n \u201cOne memory that stands out for Patel,\u201d \u00a0Farrington reported, \u00a0\u201cis how he and his father would \u2018sneak out\u2019 to grab a bite of butter chicken, \u00a0as his mom followed a strict vegetarian diet and didn\u2019t allow meat in the house.<\/p>\n \u201cWhile he joked that his mom likely knew exactly where they were going,\u201d\u00a0 Farrington said,\u00a0 \u201cit became a weekly ritual for him and his dad.\u201d<\/p>\n <\/a> Second lady Usha Vance, wife of Vice President J.D. Vance.\u00a0 (Instagram photo)<\/strong><\/em><\/div>\n Unlike Patel,\u00a0 Usha Chilukuri Vance, \u00a039,\u00a0 is a vegetarian and proud of it,\u00a0 having praised her husband,\u00a0 U.S. vice president J.D. Vance,\u00a0 on day three of the 2024 Republican National Convention for having adapted to her vegetarian diet in home meals and having learned to cook Indian food for her mother.<\/p>\n But as only one of many trustees of the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts,\u00a0 Usha Vance will likely have no direct influence over any animal issue,\u00a0 except perhaps by way of setting an influential personal example.<\/p>\n J.D. Vance,\u00a0 however,\u00a0 remains conspicuously a meat-eater in public appearances,\u00a0 according to Los Angeles Times<\/em> reporter Daniel Miller,\u00a0 who examined his eating habits in an August 13,\u00a0 2024 feature article.<\/p>\nTrump picks with best pro-animal records are in poor position to help;\u00a0 those with worst records will have most influence<\/em><\/span><\/h2>\n
<\/p>\n<\/p>\nAnti-vaxxer RFK Jr. will oversee NIH,\u00a0 CDC,\u00a0 & FDA<\/h2>\n
<\/p>\n<\/p>\nRFK Jr. sued pig farmers,\u00a0 but long ago<\/h2>\n
<\/p>\n<\/p>\nTulsi Gabbard:\u00a0 pro-animal but no relevant role<\/h2>\n
<\/p>\n<\/p>\n\u201cVoted to crack down on animal fighting in the U.S. territories\u201d<\/h2>\n
<\/p>\n<\/p>\nBrian Nesvik<\/h2>\n
<\/p>\n<\/p>\nElk,\u00a0 grizzlies,\u00a0 & wolves<\/h2>\n
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(Beth Clifton collage)<\/strong><\/em><\/div>\n\u201cDeclaring war on imperiled wildlife\u201d<\/h2>\n
<\/p>\n<\/p>\nWants to weaken protection for threatened species<\/h2>\n
<\/p>\n<\/p>\n\u201cSpectator rather than a leader\u201d<\/h2>\n
<\/p>\n<\/p>\nIn it for Kash<\/h2>\n
<\/p>\n<\/p>\nUsha Vance:\u00a0 veg & proud of it,\u00a0 but no direct clout<\/h2>\n