Congress Releases Omnibus Spending Bill for Wild Horse Management

WASHINGTON (December 23, 2022)— The nation’s leading wild horse protection organization, theAmerican Wild Horse Conservation (formerly American Wild Horse Campaign)(AWHC), commended the U.S.Congressfor including an important bipartisan wild horse protection measure in the final Fiscal Year (FY) 2023 appropriations omnibus passed today. The measure requires the Bureau of Land Management’s (BLM’s) Wild Horse and Burro Program to utilize up to $11 million for reversible immunocontraceptivefertility controlin FY23 to sustainably manage wild horses and burros.

The legislative effort for humane management was championed and supported by a strong bipartisan team of lawmakers, including U.S. Representatives Steve Cohen (D-TN), Dina Titus (D-NV), Lucille Roybal-Allard (D-CA), David Schweikert (R-AZ), and Brian Fitzpatrick (R-PA)in the Houseand Senator Cory Booker (D-NJ)in the Senate. This is the second year in a row thatCongresshas directed the agency to utilize scientifically-provenfertility control, a management approach that would slow the influx of wild horses and burros into government holding facilities thatcurrently utilize 60 percentof the Program budget.

In a change of events,Congressappropriated less funding for theWild Horse and Burro Programthan the amount that was proposed in the original FY23 House and Senate bills and requested by the Biden Administration.

“We thankCongressand the Interior Appropriations Subcommittees for continuing support for a robustfertility controlvaccine program and other creative alternatives that will keep horses out of costly government holding facilities,” said Holly Gann Bice, director of government relations of AWHC. “By limiting funding, triaging removals, and directing the BLM to utilizefertility control,Congressis signaling a new direction for wild horse management that will ultimately stabilize populations in the wild for the benefit of the agency, the taxpayer, and wild horses alike.”

Other key measures include:

• Evaluating options for relocating wild horses and burros to different Herd Management Areas (HMAs) as an alternative to removals.
• Reviewing the agency’scontroversial Adoption Incentive Program(AIP) for any program weaknesses that jeopardize the welfare of the mustangs and burros placed into private care.
• Pursuing partnerships with veterans and wild horse organizations to aid in humane fertility control management.
• Emphasizing the importance of screening adopters and purchasers to ensure the welfare and safe outcomes for the horses and burros adopted and sold by the U.S. Forest Service.

AWHC also thankedCongressfor including the long-standing anti-slaughter provisions, including a ban on the killing and slaughter of federally-protected wild horses and burros and language to defund USDA horse meat inspections, which effectively prevents horse slaughter plants from operating in the U.S.

About the American Wild Horse Conservation

TheAmerican Wild Horse Conservation (formerly American Wild Horse Campaign)(AWHC) is the nation’s leading wild horse protection organization, with more than 700,000 supporters and followers nationwide. AWHC is dedicated to preserving the American wild horse and burros in viable, free-roaming herds for generations to come, as part of our national heritage. In addition to advocating for the protection and preservation of America’s wild herds, AWHC implements the largest wild horsefertility controlprogram in the world.

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