The US Senate has finished the House business by voting on the Fiscal Year 2020 spending bill, sending it to the President for his signature.

What does this mean for our wild herds?

While we held onto a strand of hope that the spending bill wouldn’t pass, our sources indicated that it would, and now we know it has. This bill included the additional $21 million allocated to BLM for the Wild Horse and Burro Program.

The Cloud Foundation’s concern is that all or most of the funds will be spent on perpetuating the broken system of violent helicopter roundups that destroy wild horse families; traumatize, injure, and sometimes kill horses; and sentence them to life in a pen unless adopted.

Tens of thousands of our wild horses and burros could be removed over the next 10 years. But we’re not giving up, and we will need you in this fight with us.

Here’s what you need to know:

• The additional $21 million is not available to BLM right away, and not without strings attached.
• BLM needs to submit a “comprehensive and detailed plan for an aggressive and non-lethal population control strategy.”
• Congress emphasized that BLM must adhere strictly to the Comprehensive Animal Welfare Program.
• The BLM plan must be focused on treatment and retreatment of animals on the range, and on minimizing future removals.

While Congress seems to be willing to provide some amount of oversight for BLM, it will be up to advocates everywhere to hold the agency accountable. In 2020, we will be calling you to action – our horses and burros need your help, your action, and your voice, now more than ever.

The Cloud Foundation
107 South 7th St
Colorado Springs, CO 80905
www.thecloudfoundation.org