Congress moves to ban donkey-skin trade, protecting vulnerable African communities

What it does

This bill prohibits the import, export, sale, and purchase of donkeys, donkey hides, and products containing ejiao (a gelatin made from donkey skin used in traditional Chinese medicine and cosmetics) in the United States. It imposes civil penalties up to $10,000 per violation and criminal penalties up to $20,000 and 5 years imprisonment for knowing violations, with enforcement by U.S. Customs and Border Protection and the Department of Interior.

Why we flagged it

The bill's operative mechanism is a straightforward trade prohibition on a specific commodity (ejiao and donkey hides) justified by documented animal welfare and humanitarian harm. The findings establish that donkey populations are collapsing due to unsustainable demand, and that families in lower-income countries are harmed when donkeys are stolen or sold for short-term gain.

What the text implies

• The bill may create enforcement challenges at the retail level (online sales, small shipments) despite clear intent, potentially requiring significant CBP resource allocation to detect ejiao in cosmetic and supplement products.
• Forfeiture provisions (Section 5) apply without culpability requirements, meaning goods can be seized even in civil cases where intent is unclear, which may affect small importers or retailers unaware of ejiao content in products.
• The $350 threshold for criminal penalties in Section 4(1) creates a potential loophole: multiple small purchases below $350 each may avoid felony prosecution despite coordinated intent.
• Reward provisions (Section 6) funded from penalties and forfeitures may incentivize informants but could also create perverse incentives for false reports if enforcement becomes aggressive.

Section numbers refer to the bill text the analysis read — linked under Primary records below.

Who it affects

The bill protects vulnerable populations in Africa and Latin America whose livelihoods depend on donkeys, prevents animal cruelty at scale, and addresses a documented humanitarian crisis where millions of donkeys are slaughtered annually. U.S. citizens face no direct cost—the bill restricts a luxury import with documented substitutes—and aligns U.S. law with the African Union's 2024 moratorium.

Named in the bill

U.S. Customs and Border Protection, Department of Homeland Security, Department of Interior, Department of Agriculture, Court of International Trade, African Union, Kenya Agricultural and Livestock Research Organization

Where it stands

22 cosponsors: 14 Democrats, 8 Republicans.

• Sep 23, 2025 — Introduced · Congress.gov: “Introduced in House”
• Sep 23, 2025 — Referred to House Committee on the Judiciary and House Committee on Homeland Security · Congress.gov: “Referred to the Committee on Ways and Means, and in addition to the Committees on Natural Resources, Foreign…”

Dates and quoted wording are Congress.gov's action record; the timeline shows status changes, not every procedural step.

Money around this bill

2 lobbying clients named this bill on 3 disclosure filings across 2 quarters, Dec 2025 to Jun 2026. Those filings disclosed $850,000 in lobbying spend. A filing names 9 bills on average, so that figure is what each filing reported, not a share belonging to this bill.

More lobbying clients named this bill than 41% of bills with at least one filing.

Donald Beyer, the sponsor, reported $633,099 in PAC receipts in the 2026 cycle.

• Arkema Inc. and Its Affiliates (fka Arkema Inc.) — $570,000 on 2 filings
• Humane World Action Fund — $280,000 on 1 filing

Lobbying Disclosure Act filings through Jul 23, 2026. A filing shows who paid to lobby on a bill it names, not what changed.