{"database": "press", "table": "releases", "rows": [["https://www.booker.senate.gov/news/press/booker-calls-for-investigation-into-trumps-blm-letting-wild-horses-go-to-slaughter", "Booker Calls for Investigation Into Trump\u2019s BLM Letting Wild Horses Go to Slaughter", "2026-09-17", "2026", "2026-09", "Democrat", "Senate", "NJ", "Cory A. Booker", "B001288", "www.booker.senate.gov", "booker", "https://www.booker.senate.gov/news/press", "scraper", "WASHINGTON, D.C. \u2013 U.S. Senator Cory Booker (D-NJ) joined U.S. Representative Dina Titus (NV-01) and 17 congressional colleagues in sending 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 sold by BLM were sent to slaughter.\n\nThe letter follows reporting from the New York Times describing how BLM sold wild horses to buyers who quickly shipped them to slaughter in Canada. Signers include other Congressional Wild Horse Caucus Co-Chairs U.S. Representatives Juan Ciscomani (AZ-6), Steve Cohen (TN-09), and Mark Pocan (WI-02). This letter is also endorsed by the American Wild Horse Conservation and Rewilding America Now.\n\n\u201cWild horses are among some of America\u2019s most respected national treasures. Year after year, Congress has barred the Bureau of Land Management from slaughtering them. I\u2019m deeply concerned by the report that Trump\u2019s agency is recklessly selling these animals to buyers who send them to slaughter. The GAO must investigate these allegations,\u201d said Senator Booker.\n\n\u201cWe now know what we have long suspected \u2014 that the BLM has been selling off wild horses that end up in slaughterhouses,\u201d said Congresswoman Dina Titus, Co-Chair of the Congressional Wild Horse Caucus. \u201cThis 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.\"\n\n\u201cIt\u2019s long past time to fix the ongoing failures in how America\u2019s wild horses are managed. For years, across both Republican and Democrat administrations, we\u2019ve 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\u2019s a stewardship issue. I\u2019m proud to join this bipartisan effort to demand accountability, protect our wild horses, and push for real solutions that address the problem head-on,\u201d said Congressman Juan Ciscomani.\n\n\"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,\u201d said Congressman Steve Cohen.\n\n\u201cOur 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,\u201d said Congressman Mark Pocan.\n\nThe letter asks the GAO to examine:\n\nHow BLM has implemented its authority to sell wild horses\n\nHow BLM screens wild horse purchasers and conducts oversight of high-risk or repeat buyers\n\nWhat happens to horses and burros after they are sold, and how often BLM has repossessed animals or suspended purchasers\n\nWhether BLM\u2019s current practices comply with Congressional restrictions and the Wild Free-Roaming Horses and Burros Act\n\nRead the full text of the letter here.\n\n###", 1, "2026-09-25T10:04:52Z", "2026-09-25T10:05:46Z"]], "columns": ["url", "title", "date", "year", "month", "party", "chamber", "state", "member_name", "bioguide_id", "domain", "scraper", "source", "date_source", "text", "has_text", "collected_at", "updated_at"], "primary_keys": ["url"], "primary_key_values": ["https://www.booker.senate.gov/news/press/booker-calls-for-investigation-into-trumps-blm-letting-wild-horses-go-to-slaughter"], "units": {}, "query_ms": 0.8608787320554256, "source": "dwillis/congress-press", "source_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press", "license": "MIT", "license_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press/blob/main/LICENSE"}