On Friday, the U.S. Senate and the U.S. House of Representatives have passed a Continuing Resolution on the federal budget. This extends government funding at current levels through December 16.
The Senate introduced this stopgap measure while negotiations on the Appropriations package continue. The House passed the Appropriations bills this summer, including the Interior, Environment and Related Agencies bill. This includes Section 439, which is a defacto trophy import ban on elephants and lions from Tanzania, Zambia, and Zimbabwe. Section 439 has received constant opposition from African leaders and governments and will undoubtedly harm local communities, hunters, and wildlife conservation efforts. Fortunately, the Senate’s current version does not include Section 439.
This is the same playbook we saw last year: the House passes the funding package, with the trophy ban included; the Senate’s version does not include Section 439; and government funding is extended through a CR, stalling the process. Last year, the House and Senate went to conference on the bill, which is a negotiations process to create a bill that will pass both chambers. During conference last year, SCI and SCI advocates ensured that the trophy ban was not included in the final law.
SCI continues to fight against Section 439 and to advocate for the hunting community in Congress. SCI’s EVP Ben Cassidy will also provide an update to African leadership at SCI Foundation’s African Wildlife Consultative Forum (AWCF) in Maputo, Mozambique this week. Stay tuned for more updates and subscribe to the Hunter Advocacy Action Center to take action against this bill!
