Photo: J. Scott Applewhite/ Associated Press

This is Lily, a 15-pound French bulldog that, like Socks the cat and Barney the Scottish terrier, has a powerful friend. Lily’s owner is Congressman Jeff Denham of California, and, like many other congressional pets, they often commute from their district to the District.

One day, Rep. Denham was going to take an Amtrak to DC and discovered an Amtrak policy that prevented taking pets on trains. Astonished by this policy that could deter business from the mostly tax-payer funded train, he has worked to gain bipartisan support to allow pets to travel the train.

Unsurprisingly, many congressman have signed on to the bill, many of whom have pets, which could turn into legislation later this year. Do you think pets should be allowed on the Amtrak? Comment below and let us know your thoughts!

P.S. Just to show the influence of animals, here are some other pets that had powerful friends in government:

Socks (Bill Clinton). Photo: Barbara Kinney-White House

Buddy and his owner, Bill Clinton.

Bernard “Barney” (George W. Bush) Photo: Alex Cooney

King Tut with owner, Calvin Coolidge. Photo: Herbert E. French

Him and Her (Lyndon B. Johnson)

India Willie (George W. Bush) Photo: Shealah Craighead