Congressional Bills H.R. 4323 and H.R. 6938 Signed Into Law
What the Interior and Environment Appropriations Act, 2026 Means for Wild Horses
Congress has officially passed, and the President has signed into law, H.R. 4323 and H.R. 6938, collectively known as the Interior and Environment Appropriations Act, 2026. This legislation provides consolidated funding for federal agencies within the Department of the Interior for the fiscal year ending September 30, 2026.
Funding for the Wild Horse and Burro Program
The Act provides $144 million to the Bureau of Land Management’s (BLM) Wild Horse and Burro Program.
This funding level is:
Near or slightly above recent appropriations, and
Significantly higher than the Administration’s initial FY 2026 proposal, which had sought deeper cuts.
Congress rejected deeper budget cuts and fully funded the Wild Horse and Burro Program for FY 2026.
Critical Protections Remain in Place
The final FY 2026 appropriations bill retains the long-standing congressional rider that prohibits the use of federal funds to:
Destroy healthy wild horses or burros, or
Sell wild horses or burros into slaughter.
These protections remain in effect for the entire fiscal year.
Federal funds may not be used to destroy healthy wild horses or send them to slaughter.
What This Means Moving Forward
Approved Gathers Can Proceed
With funding finalized, BLM now has the authority to move forward with roundups that were already approved through prior planning and NEPA processes. These operations may begin appearing on official schedules as logistics and contracts are finalized.
Funding does not create new roundup decisions it activates decisions that were already approved.
Lahontan Wild Horse Herd
The Lahontan wild horse herd gather has already been approved by BLM.
However, as of mid-2025, no specific date had been scheduled, and the gather was expected to be listed on the FY 2026 roundup schedule.
Potential FY 2026 Roundups
Reports and planning documents indicate potential roundup activity in 2026 in the following areas:
Kiger (Oregon)
Salt Wells Creek (Wyoming)
Pancake (Nevada)
Stone Cabin / Saulsbury (Nevada)
Not all of these operations have published start dates, but they are tied to prior approvals or management determinations.
Approval does not always come with transparency dates often follow later.
Roundup Schedule Transparency Concerns
As of now:
The BLM national roundup schedule has not been updated since September 2, 2025, and
A current roundup that began today is not listed on the public schedule.
This ongoing delay in posting updates makes it difficult for the public, observers, and advocates to track active and upcoming operations in real time.
Roundups can begin even when the public schedule is outdated.
Why This Matters
Appropriations bills do not change wild horse policies but they unlock the ability to act. With FY 2026 funding in place:
Previously approved gathers can move forward
Contractors can be deployed
Field offices can initiate operations even if public schedules lag behind
While protections against slaughter remain intact, roundups, removals, and long-term holding continue, underscoring the need for continued monitoring and accountability.
******This page will be updated as official BLM schedules are revised and new information becomes available.
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