Global Anti-Poaching Act

Floor Speech

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Ms. McCOLLUM. Mr. Speaker, illegal poaching has hit a crisis point
for many of the world's most iconic species. Nearly 100 elephants are
being slaughtered each day by ivory poachers. The black market sale of
rhino horn and trafficking in infant gorillas is driving these species
to the brink of extinction. H.R. 2494, the Global Anti-Poaching Act,
takes critical steps to strengthen the punishments for poaching and
wildlife tracking.

The United States is a leader in the fight to protect endangered and
threatened species around the world, and this legislation continues
that legacy. This bill will ensure that the full strength of the U.S.
criminal justice system can be brought to bear against those who seek
to kill, trade, or otherwise profit from the furs, pelts, skins, or
other body parts of protected species. The profits from this illegal
trade are often used to fund terrorist or criminal activities, making
the tougher enforcements in this bill an issue of national security as
well.

Additionally, this bill creates important partnerships with nations
around the world to lend our country's expertise in countering wildlife
trafficking to local law enforcement officials on the ground. By
engaging partners across national boundaries, coordinating resources,
and sharing intelligence, this legislation would make anti-poaching
efforts around the world more efficient and more effective.

Poaching is a big business in the criminal world that threatens
species across the globe. This legislation steps up America's efforts
to ensure the protection of endangered species and crack down on this
black market industry. I thank Mr. Royce, as the author of this bill
and our founding co-chair on the International Conservation Caucus, for
his leadership on this issue, and I urge my colleagues to support H.R.
2494.

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