Bipartisan Lawmakers Demand Investigation into Wild Horse Sales Program

Arizona Representative Juan Ciscomani has joined a bipartisan group of lawmakers calling for an investigation into the Bureau of Land Management's (BLM) Wild Horse and Burro Sale Program. The program, which allows the BLM to sell wild horses and burros, has been criticized for allowing federally protected animals to enter the slaughter pipeline.

The letter, co-led by Ciscomani and Representative Dina Titus (D-NV), requests that the Government Accountability Office (GAO) conduct an independent review of the program. The lawmakers are concerned about how prospective buyers are screened and what happens to animals after they are sold.

According to figures cited in the letter, the BLM sold 3,718 horses and burros in 2025 compared to 268 in 2015. The lawmakers also highlighted the distinction between animals placed through adoption and those sold by the federal government.