Booker Calls for Investigation Into Trump’s BLM Letting Wild Horses Go to Slaughter

WASHINGTON, D.C. - U.S. Senator Cory Booker (D-NJ) joined U.S. Representative Dina Titus (NV-01) and 17 congressional colleagues in sending a bipartisan, bicameral letter to the Government Accountability Office (GAO) requesting a review of the Bureau of Land Management's (BLM) Wild Horse and Burro Program, following reports that wild horses sold by BLM were sent to slaughter.

The letter follows reporting from the New York Times describing how BLM sold wild horses to buyers who quickly shipped them to slaughter in Canada. Signers include other Congressional Wild Horse Caucus Co-Chairs U.S. Representatives Juan Ciscomani (AZ-6), Steve Cohen (TN-09), and Mark Pocan (WI-02). This letter is also endorsed by the American Wild Horse Conservation and Rewilding America Now.

"Wild horses are among some of America's most respected national treasures. Year after year, Congress has barred the Bureau of Land Management from slaughtering them. I'm deeply concerned by the report that Trump's agency is recklessly selling these animals to buyers who send them to slaughter. The GAO must investigate these allegations," said Senator Booker.

"We now know what we have long suspected - that the BLM has been selling off wild horses that end up in slaughterhouses," said Congresswoman Dina Titus, Co-Chair of the Congressional Wild Horse Caucus. "This practice must end now. I am leading my Congressional colleagues in demanding an investigation of the Wild Horse and Burro Sale Program to ensure wild horses and burros received the protections they are guaranteed by federal law."

"It's long past time to fix the ongoing failures in how America's wild horses are managed. For years, across both Republican and Democrat administrations, we've seen alarming reports of hostility toward these animals and serious questions about how the Bureau of Land Management is carrying out its responsibilities. This cannot be a partisan issue. It's a stewardship issue. I'm proud to join this bipartisan effort to demand accountability, protect our wild horses, and push for real solutions that address the problem head-on," said Congressman Juan Ciscomani.

"The Administration knows what it is doing. They are circumventing the law to benefit landowners who want to get rid of all the wild horses, which are American heritage that we should value. More oversight is needed," said Congressman Steve Cohen.

"Our laws demand that we protect wild horses, not send them to slaughter. Congress has always worked in a bipartisan manner to protect these animals, and we need accountability and oversight at the Bureau of Land Management immediately. We hope this request will force the Administration to do the right thing," said Congressman Mark Pocan.

The letter asks the GAO to examine:

• How BLM has implemented its authority to sell wild horses

• How BLM screens wild horse purchasers and conducts oversight of high-risk or repeat buyers

• What happens to horses and burros after they are sold, and how often BLM has repossessed animals or suspended purchasers

• Whether BLM's current practices comply with Congressional restrictions and the Wild Free-Roaming Horses and Burros Act

Read the full text of the letter here.

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