DOGE’s Chance to Reform the BLM
The following is from the American Wild Horse Campaign:
As a new administration is coming into power, so is the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE). This new government department, led by Vivek Ramaswamy and Elon Musk, has made a commitment to improving government efficiency and fiscal responsibility and the Wild Horse and Burro Program is a prime candidate for reform.
| TAKE ACTION |
Why Reform Is Needed:
- Outdated and Costly Practices: The BLM continues to rely on traumatic helicopter roundups, confining tens of thousands of wild horses in costly holding facilities. This approach ignores repeated Congressional directives and recommendations from the National Academy of Sciences, which criticized roundups as “expensive and unproductive.”
- Skyrocketing Costs: The BLM’s Wild Horse and Burro Program spent $158 million in 2023 alone, with costs projected to reach $360 million annually. This spending prioritizes ineffective methods over proven, humane fertility control strategies that save taxpayers millions.
- Humane Solutions Work: On Nevada’s Virginia Range, American Wild Horse Conservation (AWHC) has demonstrated that fertility control programs are not only effective but also financially sound, costing a fraction of the price of roundups and confinement.
| TAKE ACTION |
Both Musk and Ramaswamy’s commitment to fiscal responsibility, along with Ramaswamy’s concern about animal cruelty, aligns perfectly with the urgent need to overhaul the BLM’s current approach.
This is a rare chance to demand a better way forward — one that respects science, saves taxpayer dollars, and ensures humane treatment of federally protected wild horses.
Best,
American Wild Horse Conservation