As the 117th Congress begins, there will be a Veterinary Medicine Caucus in the U.S. House of Representatives for the fifth consecutive Congressional cycle. Being the only health professionals who have roles in both animal and human health, veterinarians bring a unique perspective to federal legislation. Through this caucus, veterinarians will educate members of Congress and their staff on issues critical to the profession and raise awareness of the importance of veterinary medicine.

Rep. Kurt Schrader (D-OR) and Rep. Dusty Johnson (R-SD) are the co-chairs of the caucus.

Rep. Schrader is the only veterinarian in the U.S. Congress and represents Oregon’s 5th Congressional District. This is his fifth time acting as co-chair of the caucus and sixth term in the House of Representatives. He serves on the Committee on Energy and Commerce.

Rep. Johnson, who represents South Dakota, is the new co-chair of the Veterinary Medicine Caucus. This is his second term in Congress. He currently serves on the Committee on Agriculture and the Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure.

Advancing veterinary medicine through advocacy

The Veterinary Medicine Caucus allows the AVMA advocacy team to work alongside lawmakers that are dedicated to advancing legislation essential to the veterinary profession.

The AVMA will work closely with the caucus and its co-chairs along with the Association of American Veterinary Medical Colleges (AAVMC), which shares many policy priorities with the AVMA and represents more than 40,000 faculty, staff, and students across the global academic veterinary medical community. Through the Veterinary Medicine Caucus, the AVMA will advance veterinary medicine by ensuring the voice of the veterinary profession is amplified in Congress and issues of student debt, animal welfare, One Health, and small business are made a priority.