Rep. Titus Calls for Wild Horse Slaughter Investigation

This press release from Representative Dina Titus (D-NV) was published on 2026-09-17 and titled "Rep. Titus Calls for Wild Horse Slaughter Investigation".

Rep. Titus Calls for Wild Horse Slaughter Investigation

WASHINGTON – 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. “We now know what we have long suspected — that the BLM has been selling off wild horses that end up in slaughterhouses,” said Congresswoman Dina Titus, Co-Chair of the Congressional Wild Horse Caucus. “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 received the protections they are guaranteed by federal law." “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. 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.” said Congressman Juan Ciscomani "The Administration knows what it is doing. They are circumventing the law to benefit landowners who want to get rid of all the wild horses, which are American heritage that we should value. More oversight is needed,” said Congressman Steve Cohen. “Our laws demand that we protect wild horses, not send them to slaughter. Congress has always worked in a bipartisan manner to protect these animals, and we need accountability and oversight at the Bureau of Land Management immediately. We hope this request will force the Administration to do the right thing,” said Congressman Mark Pocan. “Wild horses are a national treasure. Year after year, Congress has barred the Bureau of Land Management from slaughtering them. Yet now there is a concerning report that Trump’s agency is recklessly selling wild horses to buyers who slaughter them. I am calling on GAO to investigate,” said Senator Cory Booker. “The GAO investigation is a critical step toward uncovering and eliminating abuses within the Sale Authority Program, abuses documented through AWHC’s longstanding investigation and recently brought to national attention by The New York Times . No federal program should allow America’s treasured and legally protected wild horses and burros to be funneled into the slaughter pipeline”, said Patricia Miller, Chair, Board of Directors Executive Director, American Wild Horse Conservation. “We are deeply grateful to Representative Dina Titus and her fellow Congressional Wild Horse Caucus co-chairs, Representatives Ciscomani, Cohen, and Pocan, for leading this essential oversight effort and advancing the agency accountability and lasting reform necessary to ensure these animals receive the protections promised to them under federal law.” The letter states : “This request is particularly urgent in light of recent reporting by The New York Times detailing how changes in the BLM’s management of wild horses and burros could exploit a legal loophole to facilitate their movement into the slaughter pipeline. The reporting raises renewed concerns about whether BLM's Sale Program is being used to circumvent longstanding congressional protections intended to prevent federally protected wild horses and burros from being sold or otherwise funneled into slaughter. “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. It would also build upon GAO's prior examination of BLM's wild horse management and sales practices, allowing Congress to determine whether safeguards remain effective nearly two decades later. “Most importantly, this review would help Congress determine whether the Sale Program is functioning as a legitimate placement mechanism or has become a pathway through which federally protected wild horses and burros can predictably enter the slaughter pipeline after title transfers. The recent reporting in The New York Times , together with BLM's expanded reliance on removals and sales, makes an independent examination especially timely. “GAO's findings would provide Congress with the factual basis necessary to strengthen safeguards, improve reporting requirements, ensure compliance with appropriations restrictions and the Wild Free-Roaming Horses and Burros Act, and consider additional statutory changes wh