qaz, I am not an expert on this particular issue. I have read a few things, and this article, written by a very animal-welfare proponent, shows the history of Obama’s horrible attitude toward animals throughout his presidency. The Act you are referring to was signed 2 days before he left office.
Excerpt:
While supposed animal welfare advocates everywhere are busy … their favorite animal abuser, let’s run down just a few examples of some of Obama’s most ridiculously anti-animal/anti-animal advocate actions as president:
Provided a $12 million grant through the USDA’s Dairy Management Council of the American Dairy Association to (get this) Domino’s Pizza in exchange for (wait for it) using 40% MORE cheese on pizzas;
The legalizing of the hunting and slaughter of America’s wild horses for human consumption, after promising to ban the act during his campaign for the presidency;
The backing of Ag Gag bills across the country that aim to unconstitutionally ban filming inside slaughterhouses, and criminally charge anyone caught doing so;
The signing into law of Senate Bill 1867 which not only lifted the ban on bestiality in the military (I must have missed all those US soldiers clamoring for the right to rape animals), but also, thanks to Obama’s predecessor and The Animal Enterprise Terrorism Act, which classifies animal activists as potential terrorists, now legally allows for their detainment indefinitely. And here we all thought that Bush and Obama weren’t alike!
The purchasing of millions of chickens, hogs, lambs, and fish from farms and slaughterhouses across the US to, according to USDA spokesperson, Tom Vilsack, “Help bring supply in line with demand.” The Defense Department was even enlisted to “speed up purchases,” and said it “would review its meat purchases and see if they can be accelerated.” While campaigning in Iowa and bragging about the $170 million dollars in federal funds he had just dropped to “help the farmers through this crisis,” Obama is quoted as saying, “We’ll just freeze it for later. We’ve got lots of freezers.” Where is Michelle’s anti-obesity campaign when you need it?
The above statistic paves the way for Obama’s next act; the “by dark of night” signing of the 2012 Farm Bill, which, hidden amidst a massive “Fiscal Cliff” package, not only continued exorbitant government subsidies to farmers and ranchers, but also required the USDA to begin buying up dairy products. Wow! Screw the free market (and the animals)! Obama proved that the government can simply create supply and demand! Who knew?
And finally, a $15 million grant through the Dept. of Health and Human Services to build Arizona State University’s “Research Park,” which has become one of the world’s largest animal testing facilities, housing more than a quarter of a million animals, and unabashedly performing vivisection despite outcry from animal advocates.