American Wild Horse Conservation Joins Bipartisan Leaders to Demand Investigation into BLM Wild Horse Sales

WASHINGTON, D.C. — September 17, 2026 —Congresswoman Dina Titus (NV-01) and 17 of her colleagues today sent 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 have been slaughtered. Supporters of the letter include Congressional Wild Horse Caucus Co-Chairs Juan Ciscomani (AZ-06), Steve Cohen (TN-09), and Mark Pocan (WI-02) as well as Senator Cory Booker (D-NJ). The letter is also endorsed by American Wild Horse Conservation.

The bipartisan request comes in the form of a letter and follows recent reporting by The New York Times detailing how changes in BLM's management of wild horses and burros could exploit a legal loophole and facilitate their movement into slaughter.

“The GAO investigation is a critical step toward uncovering and ending abuses within the Sale Authority Program documented through American Wild Horse Conservation’s longstanding investigation recently brought to national attention by The New York Times,” said AWHC Executive Director Patricia Miller. “We are deeply grateful to Representatives Juan Ciscomani and Dina Titus for leading this bipartisan oversight effort and demanding accountability from the federal agency entrusted with protecting America’s wild horses and burros. Their leadership is essential to securing meaningful reform and ensuring these treasured animals receive the protections promised to them under federal law,” Miller added.

The lawmakers' letter also notes that Congress has repeatedly prohibited the use of federal funds to destroy healthy wild horses and burros or sell them for processing into commercial products. The Wild Free-Roaming Horses and Burros Act also establishes federal protections for the animals.

“We now know what we have long suspected — that the BLM has been selling off wild horses that end up in slaughterhouses,” said Congresswoman Titus. “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 receive the protections they are guaranteed by federal law.”

The lawmakers are asking GAO to independently examine how BLM exercises its authority to sell wild horses and burros, how purchasers are screened and monitored, what happens to animals after federal title is transferred and whether the agency's current practices comply with congressional direction.

The request comes as BLM's reliance on sales has increased sharply.

According to BLM Data:

• 3,718 wild horses were sold by BLM in 2025, compared with 286 in 2015.
• BLM removals exceeded 20,000 animals in 2022, following a substantial increase in federal funding for removals.
• In 2005, 41 wild horses were discovered to have been slaughtered after BLM began selling animals without limitation, according to a previous GAO examination.
• In 2012, approximately 1,700 wild horses were sold to a single buyer in the scandal involving livestock operator Tom Davis, despite warning signs that many of the animals were destined for slaughter.

The lawmakers’ concerns center in part on the distinction between adoption and sale. Under an adoption, BLM maintains a continuing relationship with the adopter until title is transferred and can impose conditions governing the animal's care. A sale can substantially reduce federal oversight once title changes hands.

That distinction has become increasingly important as BLM has expanded its reliance on sales to move animals out of off-range holding facilities.

The lawmakers are asking GAO to determine whether BLM's current sales practices have created a system in which animals can be transferred to purchasers and subsequently resold into the slaughter pipeline, even if BLM does not directly sell an animal to a slaughter facility.

“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,” said Rep. Juan Ciscomani. “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.”

Titus and Ciscomani are also seeking answers about BLM's purchaser-screening procedures, including how the agency identifies repeat or high-risk purchasers and whether it tracks buyers who may have connections to livestock auctions, brokers, kill buyers or slaughter facilities.

The review would examine BLM's post-sale oversight as well, including how the agency determines whether a sold animal has entered a slaughter-related facility and when BLM has authority to repossess an animal.

Recent events have raised additional questions about the consistency of that oversight.

After reports that federally protected wild horses appeared at the New Holland auction in Pennsylvania, BLM intervened, voided the transaction and reclaimed the horses for placement through proper BLM adoption contracts. The lawmakers note that other recently sold, branded BLM horses and burros have reportedly appeared at livestock auctions and facilities associated with the slaughter pipeline without comparable intervention.

“If BLM has the authority and ability to reclaim animals in certain circumstances, Congress needs to understand what triggers intervention, how those cases are identified, why comparable cases may not receive the same treatment, and whether the agency's safeguards are being applied consistently,” the lawmakers' letter states.

The requested GAO review would build on the agency's previous examination of BLM's wild horse management and sales practices nearly two decades ago.

The lawmakers are asking GAO to determine whether BLM's current Sale Program is functioning as a legitimate placement mechanism or has instead become a pathway through which federally protected wild horses and burros can predictably enter the slaughter pipeline after title transfers.

“A comprehensive GAO review would provide Congress with an independent assessment of whether BLM's current practices adequately protect federally managed wild horses and burros, comply with congressional directives, and appropriately safeguard taxpayer resources,” the letter states.

The lawmakers are also seeking recommendations for statutory, regulatory, administrative and reporting changes that could strengthen congressional oversight and ensure that federally protected wild horses and burros are not diverted into slaughter.

Citizens who oppose current BLM programs are asked to call or write to their U.S. Senators and Representatives and voice their opinions.

About American Wild Horse Conservation

American Wild Horse Conservation is the nation’s leading nonprofit organization dedicated to protecting America’s wild horses and burros and preserving their freedom on Western public lands. AWHC works through advocacy, litigation, scientific research and implementation of humane fertility control programs to reform federal wild horse and burro management and replace costly removals with humane, sustainable on-range solutions.