Colorado Congressman Defends Wild Horses on U.S. House Floor

July 14, 2016

Last night, just after midnight on the floor of theHouse of Representatives, U.S. Rep. Jared Polis (D-CO) rose to defend America’s wild horses from the Bureau of Land Management’s (BLM’s) dangerous and destructive mass sterilization plans.

Congressman Polis's Statement

Rep. Polis spoke in favor of using the PZP fertility control vaccine as a proven alternative to inhumane surgical sterilization methods. He closed by referencing the overwhelming public opposition to these cruel methods, as evidenced by the more than 20,000 public comments (submitted by American Wild Horse Conservation supporters and other members of the public) in opposition to theBLM’s gruesome mare sterilization research that is set to take place in Oregon.

Legislative Context

Rep. Polis’ statement was made during floor debate on the 2017 Interior Appropriations Bill. In response, the chair of the Interior Appropriations Subcommittee, Rep. Ken Calvert (R-CA), agreed to work together going forward on humanesolutionsfor wild horses and burro management.

American Wild Horse Conservation is grateful to Rep. Polis for standing up for America’s wild horses and burros and taking a leadership role in the fight to secure sane and humane management of our wild herds. We are also grateful to Chairman Calvert for his continued opposition to the slaughter of wild horses and burros and his willingness to work in a bipartisan manner toward humane and socially acceptablesolutions.

Concerns and Future Actions

The House voted to approve the 2017 Interior Appropriations bill. We remain deeply concerned about this bill, because it contains dangerous language that would allow theBLMto “immediately” transfer wild horses and burros to state, local, and other federal agencies ostensibly for use as “work animals.” The provision would allow states and local governments to kill wild horses and burros for non-commercial purposes, and a provision intended to prevent commercial slaughter is insufficient because it contains no enforcement mechanism. Fortunately, it is widely believed that Interior Appropriations legislation will not pass the fullCongressand that an Omnibus Spending Bill will be negotiated after the election. This gives us another opportunity to address the concerning language, which we view as the most serious assault on the Wild Free-Roaming Horses and Burros Act in more than a decade.

We’ll continue to work with Rep. Polis’ office and other key members ofCongressto educate and advocate for America’s wild horses and burros and defend against legislative initiatives that could lead to the mass sterilization and slaughter of our wild herds.

Please stay tuned.