Advocacy update: Illicit xylazine, retirement saving, and budget wins

What happens in our nation's capital can have very real effects on veterinary professionals, practices, and patients. Fortunately, the AVMA has your back in Washington—and a new video outlines some of the most recent developments.

Among the successes you’ll learn about in the video:

• Introduction of legislation that would help combat the emerging public health threat posed by illicit xylazine in street drugs while maintaining veterinary access and use of xylazine, an essential drug for treating animal patients 
• Millions of dollars in funding for crucial veterinary programs in the 2023 federal budget— including programs that increase access to rural veterinary care and protect the U.S. food supply against potentially unsafe chemical residues
• Passage of the Securing a Strong Retirement Act 2.0, which makes it easier for small businesses to improve retirement offerings for our teams

Watch the video to discover what these developments mean for veterinary teams and our patients.

AVMA’s role: Advancing and informing the profession

In addition to ensuring that veterinary voices are heard by policymakers, the AVMA is committed to keeping the veterinary community informed about what happens in Washington. It’s easy for you to stay up to date:

• Email: Sign up to receive the free AVMA Advocate newsletter and action alerts from the AVMA Congressional Advocacy Network (AVMA CAN).
• Text: Get real-time action alerts sent to your phone.
• Video: Subscribe to AVMA’s YouTube channel.
• Social media: Follow @AVMACAN on Facebook and Twitter.

You can make the difference

AVMA’s large and diverse membership powers our advocacy on behalf of the whole profession. Discover simple actions you can take on the issues that matter most to you at avma.org/AVMACAN.