The threat of a trip to the slaughterhouse will no longer haunt the wild horses roaming the Nation’s public lands, as the U.S. House of Representatives tonight approved a measure to reinstate the Federal government’s humane policy of protecting these animals from senseless death, declared U.S. Rep. Nick J. Rahall (D-WV).
The amendment was championed by Rahall, the Ranking Democrat on the House Resources Committee, and U.S. Rep. Ed Whitfield (R-KY), with the support of U.S. Rep. John Sweeney (R-NY) and U.S. Rep. John Spratt (D-SC). With the votes of 78 House Republicans, the amendment passed with 249 votes.
"The very notion that wild American horses would be slaughtered as a food source for foreign consumption abroad has struck a chord with the American people. Tonight, the people’s House of Representatives acted on the will of its constituents," stated Rahall.
The bipartisan amendment prevents funds from being used by the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) to implement the rider attached to last December’s omnibus appropriations bill for Fiscal Year 2005 that allowed the sale for slaughter of wild horses. The rider overturned 34 years of federal policy protecting wild horses from the commercial sale for slaughter. Recently, 41 horses were sent to a slaughterhouse as a result of the change in the law.
In March, BLM Director Clarke testified before the Forest and Forest Health Subcommittee, "We have no legal authority to intervene after the animal is sold and a bill of sale is completed."
"We prayed that the new regulations would not lead to the slaughter of these animals. But the BLM had no legal recourse to stop those individuals who bought wild horses with evil intentions. This amendment addressed an urgent need for protection," concluded Rahall.
![[New for the Democrats - Committee on Resources - U.S. Rep. Nick Rahall, Ranking Democrat - 1329 Longworth HOB - Washington, DC 20015]](news_banner.gif)
