The Government Accountability Office (GAO) has been tasked with examining how horse processing plant closures have affected equine welfare. The GAO is an independent, nonpartisan agency that provides Congress with objective, fact-based information intended to improve performance and accountability of federal agencies.

Commercial horse processing has not taken place in the United States since 2007 when state legislation shuttered the last two processing plants in Texas and Illinois. Congress has also denied funds for USDA horsemeat inspections. Legislation is currently pending that would ban the transport of horses to processing plants in Mexico and Canada