# 119-hr-5544: Ejiao Act of 2025

119-hr-5544, Ejiao Act of 2025, is a 119th Congress bill sponsored by Rep. Beyer, Donald S. [D-VA-8] (D-VA); status introduced; PRIA reads it as touching household money (as of 2026-10-08).

- Canonical: https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-5544
- As of: 2026-10-08
- Plain-text twin of the page above; the HTML and this file carry the same facts.

## Facts
- Bill: 119-hr-5544
- Congress: 119
- Title: Ejiao Act of 2025
- Status: introduced
- Introduced: 2025-09-23
- Sponsor: Rep. Beyer, Donald S. [D-VA-8] (D-VA)
- Cosponsors: 22
- Policy area: Foreign Trade and International Finance
- Touches household money: yes
- Last recorded action: 2026-10-08

## Summary

**A federal ban on ejiao and donkey hides would stop the import, sale, and interstate transport of donkeys, donkey hides, and any products containing ejiao.** The bill pairs that ban with civil and criminal penalties and forfeiture powers to help enforce the restriction. - Importers, wholesalers, and online sellers would be barred from bringing or selling donkeys, donkey hides, or products containing ejiao across state or international lines. The United States is identified as the third-largest importer with about $12 million in annual ejiao imports. - The bill responds to reported declines in donkey populations and international action such as an African Union moratorium, and it enables seizure and forfeiture of animals and products tied to the ejiao trade. - U.S. Customs and Border Protection and the Secretary of the Interior would lead enforcement, with civil fines up to $10,000 per violation and criminal penalties that can include fines and up to 5 years in prison. The law would allow forfeiture of animals, hides, products, and equipment and creates a rewards program funded from penalties.

## Cosponsors (22)

- Rep. Thanedar, Shri [D-MI-13] (D-MI), 2026-10-06T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Steube, W. Gregory [R-FL-17] (R-FL), 2025-09-23T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Titus, Dina [D-NV-1] (D-NV), 2025-09-23T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Fitzpatrick, Brian K. [R-PA-1] (R-PA), 2025-09-23T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Gottheimer, Josh [D-NJ-5] (D-NJ), 2025-09-23T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Carson, André [D-IN-7] (D-IN), 2025-09-23T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Schweikert, David [R-AZ-1] (R-AZ), 2025-09-26T00:00:00.000Z
- Del. Norton, Eleanor Holmes [D-DC-At Large] (D-DC), 2025-10-28T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Krishnamoorthi, Raja [D-IL-8] (D-IL), 2025-11-25T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Lofgren, Zoe [D-CA-18] (D-CA), 2026-02-09T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Dexter, Maxine [D-OR-3] (D-OR), 2026-04-09T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Barr, Andy [R-KY-6] (R-KY), 2026-04-15T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Buchanan, Vern [R-FL-16] (R-FL), 2026-04-20T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Carbajal, Salud O. [D-CA-24] (D-CA), 2026-04-21T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. McCollum, Betty [D-MN-4] (D-MN), 2026-04-21T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Keating, William R. [D-MA-9] (D-MA), 2026-05-11T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Tenney, Claudia [R-NY-24] (R-NY), 2026-06-30T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Kim, Young [R-CA-40] (R-CA), 2026-06-30T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Van Duyne, Beth [R-TX-24] (R-TX), 2026-07-13T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Levin, Mike [D-CA-49] (D-CA), 2026-07-16T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Walkinshaw, James R. [D-VA-11] (D-VA), 2026-07-20T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Mullin, Kevin [D-CA-15] (D-CA), 2026-08-03T00:00:00.000Z

## Provisions PRIA read

- Rewards for tips and caring for donkeys: benefit, low. CBP or the Interior Secretary could pay rewards for tips that lead to arrests, penalties, or forfeitures. They could also reimburse reasonable costs to care for a seized donkey while a case is pending. Payments would come from money collected as fines, penalties, or forfeitures. Government employee…
- Fines, jail, and forfeiture for ejiao trade: cost, low. If enacted, two criminal tiers would apply. For items worth over $350, knowing violators could face up to a $20,000 fine and up to 5 years in prison. Other knowing violations could bring up to a $10,000 fine and up to 1 year in prison. CBP could also assess up to $10,000 per civil violation, and ea…
- Nationwide ban on donkey and ejiao trade: cost, low. This bill would ban importing, exporting, transporting, selling, receiving, acquiring, or buying donkeys, donkey hides, or any product containing ejiao in U.S. interstate or foreign commerce. Online sales would also be covered. The ban would apply only to conduct in commerce and to people who act k…
- Stronger border checks and seizures for ejiao: mixed, medium. CBP and the Interior Department would enforce this Act. They could use other federal, state, or tribal staff by agreement. Officers could carry firearms, make arrests, and use warrants, subject to normal rules. Officials could detain and inspect containers from abroad or before export; a bond could…

## Related bills

- 119-hr-1661: SAFE Act of 2025
- 119-hr-3514: Improving Seniors’ Timely Access to Care Act of 2025
- 119-hr-2102: Major Richard Star Act
- 119-hr-4206: CONNECT for Health Act of 2025
- 119-hr-1684: PAST Act of 2025
- 119-hres-1641: Honoring the contributions of Indian Americans and supporting the designation of July as "Indian American Heritage Month".

## Sources
- [119-hr-5544 on Congress.gov](https://www.congress.gov/bill/119th-congress/house-bill/5544)

## Related
- [119-hr-1661: SAFE Act of 2025](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-1661)
- [119-hr-3514: Improving Seniors’ Timely Access to Care Act of 2025](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-3514)
- [119-hr-2102: Major Richard Star Act](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-2102)
- [119-hr-4206: CONNECT for Health Act of 2025](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-4206)
- [119-hr-1684: PAST Act of 2025](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-1684)
- [119-hres-1641: Honoring the contributions of Indian Americans and supporting the designation o…](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hres-1641)
- [All bills in Congress](https://policyrisk.com/legislation)

Source: PRIA, https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-5544 (as of 2026-10-08).