USDA, DOJ, DHS, and HHS Launch Coordinated Effort to Crack Down on Chronic Dog Welfare Violators
Federal Blitz Targets Worst Offenders
Contact: aphispress@usda.gov
Washington, D.C., February 18, 2026—U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Brooke L. Rollins, alongside U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi, U.S. Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem, and U.S. Secretary of Health and Human Services Robert F. Kennedy Jr., together are taking historic actions to hold chronic companion animal welfare violators accountable and prosecute those who fight dogs to the highest extent of the law in an effort to end this horrific practice once and for all. The suite of actions will boost compliance with existing laws, protect our companion animals, and reiterate that the Trump Administration stands with the majority of Americans who own companion animals.