Urges Interior Secretary Burgum to Expand and Implement Proven Fertility Control Methods in BLM’s Wild Horse and Burro Program
WASHINGTON — Yesterday, Congressman Vern Buchanan led a letter with Congressman David Schweikert (R-Ariz.) to Secretary of the Interior Doug Burgum urging reforms to the Bureau of Land Management’s (BLM) Wild Horse and Burro Program. The letter calls for the Department of the Interior to implement cost-effective and humane fertility control measures, as well as to adhere to congressional directives for managing America’s growing wild horse and burro populations on western rangelands.
The letter emphasizes the importance of restoring fiscal responsibility while also protecting America’s federally designated wild free-roaming horses and burros. Recent reports indicate that less than four percent of the agency’s $153 million budget for the Wild Horse and Burro Program ($11 million more than Congress appropriated) was spent on humane fertility control methods despite their proven effectiveness in reducing long-term costs and enhancing animal welfare. Allocating just 10 percent of the Bureau of Land Management’s Fiscal Year 2024 budget to fertility control could have prevented over 5,500 foal births and saved taxpayers an estimated $249 million.
“Wild horses are a beloved symbol of the American spirit and deserve our protection,” said Buchanan. “Secretary Burgum’s experience and appreciation for our western landscapes and wild horses make him the right person to lead these common-sense reforms to safeguard these beautiful creatures. I am confident that under his leadership, we can move toward a more humane and fiscally responsible future for America’s wild horses and burros.”
“Fertility control, being both humane and reversible, is a viable option in protecting this species, but also our spending. We could generate millions in cost-savings for taxpayers, just from reduced holding costs. I’m writing to ask Secretary Burgum to incorporate the fiscally responsible use of fertility control treatments to promote humane processes for wild horse and burro management,” said Rep. Schweikert.
Joining Buchanan and Schweikert in co-signing the letter are Reps. Brian Fitzpatrick (R-Penn.) and Juan Ciscomani (R-Ariz.).
Buchanan, who co-chairs the Animal Protection Caucus in Congress, is a leading advocate for protecting endangered species and ending animal cruelty, introducing and co-sponsoring dozens of important animal measures. Recently, Buchanan introduced the Save America’s Forgotten Equines (SAFE) Act to ban the inhumane slaughter of horses. He is also a two-time recipient of the Humane Society’s “Legislator of the Year” award, winning the award in 2015 and 2020.
Read the full letter HERE.
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