Summary: The U.S. House Committee on Agriculture recently added an amendment to the Farm Bill that threatens to ban dog hunting, open-field coursing, and live-lure training nationwide.
On March 3, 2026, the U.S. House of Representatives Committee on Agriculture added language banning hunting, training and field trialing with live animals to the Farm Bill. The amendment to the vital piece of legislation that provides funding for needy families, provides farm support and conservation funding, was done in the seventh hour of an eight-hour hearing in which committee members debated 25 amendments. Even after such a long meeting, committee chairman GT Thompson knew something was wrong, and objected to the amendment. But that didn’t stop the committee from approving the anti-hunting language on a voice vote after a strong bipartisan push from Congressmen Salud Carbajal (D-CA) and Zach Nunn (R-IA).
The Origin of the Greyhound Protection Act (HR 5017)
The amendment was an exact copy of a bill, HR 5017, the so-called “Greyhound Protection Act.” A bill authored by Carbajal that was introduced August 22, 2025. The bill has not had a single public hearing. Instead of allowing for public debate, Rep. Carbajal and his co-conspirator, Rep. Nunn, went with the sneaky and dishonest approach of sliding the amendment into the Farm Bill, legislation that almost always is approved by Congress.
Hidden Restrictions on Open-Field Coursing and Training
Worse, Carbajal and Nunn never once disclosed during their passionate advocacy for the hunting ban that their amendment banned open-field coursing and live-lure training in addition to the greyhound racing industry on which they spoke forcefully.
Here is a closer look at the 29 members of the U.S. House of Representatives who sponsored the bill to ban hunting with dogs across the United States:
- Often bills in Congress are described as bipartisan, when only a token number of members from one party were actually a part of a legislative effort. The Greyhound Protection Act is truly bipartisan with 15 Democrat sponsors and 14 Republicans.
- Members of Congress from 19 different states (38% of all states) make up the list of sponsors of the anti-hunting legislation.
- New York had the most, with five members of its congressional delegation (four republicans / one democrat.)
- Florida was the runner up with four members (all four are republican).
- Nine of the sponsors of the anti-hunting legislation are members of the Congressional Sportsmen’s Caucus, including the primary sponsor, Rep. Salud Carbajal.
Were Lawmakers Misled by the Amendment’s Language?
The question in the minds of sportsmen across the country is: did these 29 members of Congress knew they were sponsoring a bill to ban hunting with dogs? Did the members of the House Agriculture Committee who voted “Aye” for the voice vote know what was in the amendment, or were they fooled by Rep. Carbajal and Nunn who spoke only of greyhound racing?
Approval of an amendment championed by infamous animal-rights extremist Wayne Pacelle and his organization Animal Wellness Action is alarming, even if the Congressmen only knew of the greyhound racing ban alone.
Opposition to the Hunting and Racing Ban
Other than Chairman Thompson, only one other committee member spoke with any skepticism. Congressman Dusty Johnson (R-SD) repeatedly questioned whether the same arguments aimed at greyhound racing could be also applied to horse racing. Somehow comforted by assurances by Carbajal and Nunn that the two were clearly different issues, a majority of members of the committee approved the ban on greyhound racing, open-field coursing and live-lure training.
How Sportsmen Can Protect Their Hunting Rights
In the three weeks since the anti-hunting language was discovered, sportsmen organizations have worked together to prevent the amendment from being in the final version of the Farm Bill. The groups are working on both the House and the Senate.
Sportsmen in 19 States Have an Additional Task.
Let the 29 sponsors of the “Greyhound Protection Act” know hunters are deeply unhappy with their unprovoked attack on hunting with dogs.
The Sportsmen’s Alliance guarantees hunting, fishing, and trapping for the American sportsman now and forever. We’re there when sportsmen need us most. We are the only organization specifically created to protect the individual hunter, angler, and trapper – no matter the threat. We will never compromise when it comes to defending our way of life in the courts, in the legislatures, in the public square, and at the ballot box. We make this promise to the American sportsman: we will never give up and never give in while proudly securing our future against those seeking to destroy our values, beliefs, and traditions. Stay connected to the Sportsmen’s Alliance: Online, Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.
