Senate Passes Omnibus Bill, Protects Wild Horses

August 1, 2018 ... Yesterday, the Senate passed a “minibus” spending bill to fund the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) and other agencies. The bill maintains protections for wild horses against killing and slaughter and does not contain dangerous House provisions authorizing mass sterilization.  Once again, the Senate has stood science, the majority of Americans, virtually all wild preservation groups to protect wild horses and burros.

Fiscal Year 2019 spending legislation now heads to conference committee where the differences between the House and Senate bills will be reconciled. The House language presents a clear and present threat to wild horses and burros, thanks to language included by Rep. Chris Stewart that would  authorize and the BLM to manage wild horses and burros in non-reproducing and single-sex herds by sterilizing wild horses through risky and invasive surgeries. The Stewart amendment also lays the groundwork for mass destruction of healthy horses and burros over the age of 10 – barely middle age for a wild horse.

AWHC will continue to work to ensure the Senate language prevails and the Stewart language is removed from the bill. Stay tuned for further updates regarding how you can help ensure the best outcome for our wild horses and burros.