Cline versus animal welfare

When it comes to protecting animals from cruelty, Congressman Cline has been a reliable NO vote.

In 2019, Cline was the only member of Congress from Virginia– Democrat or Republican– to vote against a bill banning the abusive practice of soring horses for competition.

Later that year he voted against the Shark Fin Sales Elimination Act to ban the sale, purchase, and possession of shark fins in the United States.

As the Animal Welfare Institute reported:

Shark finning is a cruel practice that entails cutting off a shark’s fins—often while the shark is still alive—and throwing the mutilated body in the ocean, where the helplessly immobile shark will suffocate, bleed to death, or succumb to an attack by a predator.

Now we learn that Cline earned a not-so-coveted 0% score from the Humane Society’s Legislative Fund for his record in 2021– one of just 26 out of 535 members of Congress to do so.

Cline achieved that rating by voting:

• Against the PAWS for Veterans Therapy Act (H.R. 1448) to improve the health and well-being of veterans through the healing effects of the human-animal bond.

• For an amendment to continue allowing imports of African lion and elephant trophies taken in Tanzania, Zambia or Zimbabwe.

• Against amendments to protect West Indian manatees in Florida and to direct the VA to use $5 million for equine-assisted therapy for veterans suffering from PTSD.

• Against amendments to help prevent future pandemics by establishing U.S. foreign policy on wildlife trade issues and providing resources to address live wildlife markets and the trade in terrestrial live wildlife for human consumption, and to provide funding and authorizations to expand operations to combat illegal wildlife trafficking in the U.S. and around the world.

In other words, Cline’s attitude toward protecting and helping animals (and people who could benefit from them) doesn’t vary greatly from his attitude toward protecting and helping humans.