Call them Paw-cus.
A bipartisan group of lawmakers launched the Congressional Dog Lovers Caucus on Thursday, less than a week after South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem killed her dog. Both Democrats and Republicans were disgusted.
“Dogs are the only creatures on earth that love people more than themselves. Their joie de vivre can help bring together Americans from all walks of life and foster bipartisanship in Congress,” Rep. Jared Moskowitz (D-Fla.) said in a statement.
“Looking at recent dog-related news, it is clear that both sides reject animal cruelty and support protecting man’s best friend.”
Moskowitz, along with Rep. Susan Wild (D-Pa.) and Rep. Nancy Mace (R-S.C.), formed the Congressional Dog Lovers Caucus to share their love and companionship of dogs and find bipartisan common ground in Congress. He said he had started.
“We started this caucus to advocate for legislation that protects the rights and welfare of dogs and ensures they receive the care, respect and recognition they deserve,” Mays said in a statement.
Noem, a Republican governor and former member of the House of Representatives, has come under fire over the past week for excerpts from her upcoming memoir that describe her misbehavior leading her to shoot her 14-month-old puppy, Cricket.
Noem shot the cricket in a gravel pit after it attacked livestock, claiming the dog was “untrainable.”
Noem’s growing popularity among Republicans led her to be on former President Donald Trump’s shortlist for vice presidential nomination.
But the recent puppy-killing scandal may now jeopardize her chances, especially as fellow Republicans express their disgust with Noem’s decision. She responded to the backlash. “Difficult decisions like this happen all the time on farms.”
Moskowitz was one of several lawmakers who immediately commented.
Five days before the convention began, Moskowitz, a Democratic freshman notorious for online trolling, I posted an infomercial-style video. “For as little as $0.10 a day, you can help save a puppy from Kristi Noem,” he mocks Noem with the caption.
