A ban on the transportation of horses across state borders and into Canada or Mexico for the purposes of slaughter was included in the infrastructure bill that passed in the U.S. House of Representatives on Thursday morning. The ban is a priority for a number of Thoroughbred and animal-welfare groups, who have lobbied the federal government for additional restrictions on horse slaughter in recent years. Those groups said in statements on Thursday that the ban was supported by a bi-partisan group of legislators. The slaughter of horses for human consumption has not taken place in the U.S. since the last horse slaughterhouse in the country closed in 2007 due to federal prohibitions on funding inspections at the facilities. Supporters of further restrictions contend that thousands of horses a year continue to be shipped over the Canadian and Mexican border to slaughterhouses in those countries. “The overwhelming majority of Americans oppose horse slaughter for human consumption and the [American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals] is working resolutely to solve equine-welfare issues on the ground, but we cannot fully succeed while the slaughter pipeline remains open,” said Nancy Perry, the senior vice president of government relations for the ASPCA. The infrastructure funding bill has been sent to the Senate, where supporters of the legislation hope to use a budget reconciliation process to pass the bill without the 60 votes needed for approval.