Danger Ahead on Capitol Hill for Wild Horses

May 26, 2016

Chris Stewart, a Republican Congressman from Utah, aims to overturn federal management of wild horses and transfer control to the states. This move could reverse over four decades of progress, returning to a time when local authorities and ranchers endangered mustang herds by rounding them up for slaughter.

Congressintervened on behalf of the American people to protect these iconic animals. The Wild Free Roaming Horses and Burros Act of 1971, passed unanimously, declared America's wild horses and burros as"living symbols of the historic and pioneer spirit of the West"that"shall be protected from capture, branding, harassment, or death; and to accomplish this they are to be considered in the area where presently found, as an integral part of the natural system of thepublic lands."

Yesterday, at a House Interior Appropriations Subcommittee markup hearing for the 2017 budget, Rep. Stewartannounced his intentionto work on a "bi-partisan solution" to the wild horse "problem."

We know what Rep. Stewart's solution entails, and his efforts represent the biggest threat to our wild horses and burros since the 2004 Burns amendment authorized the sale of federally protected wild horses and burros for slaughter.

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