Secret deals with the Russians. Sexual assault. Cutting Meals on Wheels. Ending women’s healthcare.
What's next? Abusing puppies?
Actually, yes. At some point, Donald Trump crossed a line from being a cartoonish, laughable villain to being just downright, sickeningly evil. Under Trump’s new administration, information on those who perpetrate animal cruelty, which has been available for decades for both consumers and pet store owners, was suddenly purged without notice.
It’s alarming enough that Chuck Schumer called a press conference with the ASPCA president to demand that the USDA restore the info. Mic created a one-minute video that I urge you to watch.
As soon as Trump’s people arrived at the USDA, they removed public access to literally tens of thousands of reports that document the numbers of animals kept by research labs, companies, zoos, circuses, and animal transporters—and whether those animals are being treated humanely under the Animal Welfare Act:
The agency said in a statement that it revoked public access to the reports “based on our commitment to being transparent … and maintaining the privacy rights of individuals.”
USDA inspectors routinely visit facilities and upload inspection reports like this one to the agency website several months later. Labs, companies, and others covered by the act are also required to file annual censuses like this one cataloging the number and kinds of animals in their care.
Inspection reports contain little, if any, personal information about individuals.
Public access to the reports has led to scores of media reports…
Henceforth, those wanting access to the information will need to file a Freedom of Information Act request, which can take months or even years to process.
Beyond zoos, dog breeders, and labs, the public also can no longer access inspection reports under the Horse Protection Act, which prohibits injuring horses’ hooves or legs for show.
Not only is all of this cruel, it makes little economic sense. everal states require pet stores to only sell from reputable breeders. Hundreds of stores are in jeopardy of violating state law since they no longer have an easily accessible database to identify the puppy-mill owners who breed large numbers of dogs in squalor.
I can’t for the life of me figure this one out, except that Donald Trump notoriously does not like animals. He will be the first president in 130 years to not have a dog in the White House. (No, I’m not counting Ted Cruz.) He views dogs as unclean, (Trump is a self-admitted, massive germaphobe), and his references for dogs reveal his contempt: at various times he tweeted that his enemies have been “fired like a dog”, “begging like a dog” or “choking like a dog”. He taught his sons to be just as depraved: they infamously love to have their pictures taken with carcasses of exotic animals they have killed.
There is no reasonable explanation to withhold animal abuse information from the public, and there is only one winner in this decision, according to a senior director at the Humane Society:
"Here we have a government action that benefits no one except people who are caught abusing animals and don't want the public to know."
In the end, this is just another example of Trump’s endless supply of pointless cruelty and pain. Many will suffer within the next few years, and now we have learned it won’t just be limited to those who walk on two legs.