The Time to stand for Wild Horses is now
Congress is Silent—and Silence is Complicity.
Despite growing public outcry, Congress is taking no meaningful action to protect America’s wild horses and burros. This isn’t neutrality—it’s passive approval of a system that is failing our native Wild Horses.
The 1971 WFRHBA mandates that wild horses and burros be protected from capture, branding, harassment, or death, and be considered an integral part of the natural system of public lands where they are found
Congress allocates funding for the BLM's wild horse and burro program, which includes costs associated with managing wild horse populations, removing excess animals, providing care for animals in off-range facilities, and implementing fertility control measures.
Annual Appropriations: Congress exercises significant influence by including specific language in annual appropriations bills for the Department of the Interior. This includes directives regarding: Prohibition on Killing Healthy Animals: Congress has consistently included provisions in Interior Appropriations bills to prohibit the use of federal funds to kill healthy wild horses and burros or sell them without limitations that could lead to their slaughter.
Funding Levels: The amount of funding allocated to the BLM's Wild Horse and Burro Program is determined through the appropriations process, influencing the agency's ability to implement management strategies, including fertility control and removal operations.
President Donald Trump’s Budget request, which would slash funding for the Bureau of Land Management’s Wild Horse and Burro program by 25% and allow the slaughter of some 64,000 federally protected wild horses in government holding facilities. The proposal, horse and burro advocates note, mirrors Trump’s 2017 budget, which initially called for a 30% cut to the program’s funding and the elimination of protections against slaughter. Congress restored the protections against killing the animals and augmented funding.
Typically, the president’s appropriations bill contains a provision prohibiting horse slaughter. The Trump budget bill does not have this provision
A bipartisan Congressional Wild Horse Caucus has been formed to address issues related to wild horse and burro management, fostering collaboration and dialogue among members of Congress on this issue.
The newly formed Congressional Wild Horse Caucus provides a platform for bipartisan collaboration on wild horse and burro issues.
They are fighting to ensure that language prohibiting funding for the killing or sale of healthy wild horses or burros without limits (slaughter) is included in the FY26 Appropriations bill.
House and Senate hearings are being held to review the presidential budget request, where discussions about wild horse and burro program funding and policies will take place
The FY26 budget for the BLM's Wild Horse and Burro Program is still under debate in Congress. The outcome will significantly impact the future of these iconic animals
If lawmakers won’t stand up for the wild, they shouldn’t stand for re-election.