Report compiled by Cindy MacDonald, Carla Bowers and Leslie Peeples
House Increases Funding For Failed Program Riddled With Controversy –
Senate Poised To Seal The Deal – Can They Be Swayed?
The out-of-control direction the BLM is taking the Wild Horse & Burro Program spells the imminent extinction of America’s wild and free-roaming iconic herds in the West.
The Senate will vote sometime this week or next on whether to approve the House appropriations bill to increase funding for the DOI/BLM Wild Horse & Burro Program. If Congress wants to reduce spending, it can be done here and now. The requested additional $12M can be eliminated immediately and the $18M costs for FY11 roundups and processing can be redirected to actual reform of this acknowledged broken Program.
In July 2010, Congress members sent a letter urging the BLM to refrain from any further
action or roundups until the Program failings were remedied and a clear new plan was in
place. Yet last week, the House did an about face and awarded the BLM an additional $12M through a Continuing Resolution (CR). According to the GAO, the BLM WH&B Program has been moving in a fiscally unsustainable direction and yet, this Program was one of the few awarded a full funding increase. Additional provisions were slipped in the bill that will have long-term detrimental impacts on the herds and will be very difficult to reverse if enacted.
Though the WH&B Program has been widely acknowledged as reaching critical levels of concern, curiously the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Interior, Environment and Related Agencies failed to meet and mark up the FY11 DOI Budget Bill in 2010, according to public records and inquiries of staff. Thus, the WH&B Program was never even discussed.
Historically, reports on the Program have been government-generated and influenced, have consistently whitewashed the issues and have misled Congress, the most recent being the “Independent Designated Observer Pilot Program Final Report October 2010” and the “DOI OIG Report on the BLM WH&B Program, C-IS-BLM-0018-2010 December 2010”.
To offset the obvious lack of credible checks and balances or oversight of the Program, an independent Report to Congress was recently released in late November 2010. This Report exposes the blatant misrepresentations and deceptions occurring within the DOI/BLM WH&B Program utilizing the BLM’s own documents and data. The Report is meant to truthfully inform Congress about the gross discrepancies uncovered before the Senate commits to further funding that perpetuates the ongoing abuses within the Program.
Refer to Report to Congress: “Refuting FY2011 Budget Justifications & Request to Defund
Roundups & Removals Through Appropriations For FY2011 & FY2012”
Click (HERE) to Download Report
Related Articles
- OIG Joins BLM in Propaganda War Against Iconic Wild Horses and Burros (rtfitch.wordpress.com)
- Stop Cash Flow to Bloody BLM Wild Horse Stampedes (rtfitch.wordpress.com)
- Delusional… (artandhorseslauraleigh.wordpress.com)
Categories: Horse News, Wild Horses/Mustangs
Straight from the Horse's Heart 
Maybe we should get the Prez to appoint Cindy Secretary of Interior and she can appoint Leslie and Carla to head up BLM & WH&B????
LikeLike
I find it amazing that the legislators are really that walled off from what is happening out in the real world. That they cannot look at facts that completely refute the statements of the hand picked denizens of the deep. As Louie pointed out on another post they need to spend more time at home. They need to talk to the people and not the lobbyists who get paid to twist and shout.
LikeLike
Why not ask the Congressional IG (if there is one?….I know there is an independent one for the Executive Branch and the Prez and Congress can always request an independent investigative commission ;))
DODIG is tough (or maybe special interest driven), but something has got to be out there beside the internal, albeit DOIIG.
LikeLike
Download this report as a convenience and attach it to an email you send to your senators folks, especially if they are on the Appropriations Committee! I just did. It takes a minute.
LikeLike
Humbug. I already know my senator doesn’t take any e-mails from anyone outside his specific district of my state! Grrr. 😦
LikeLike
Good idea – did it yesterday – thanks for the idea. As with previous letters to governmental officials, I expect nothing more than a “canned” message response … but just have to try and shame on me if I don’t try. This report needs to be read by everyone. Is anyone besides me tired of looking for that supposed “accountability”?
LikeLike
YES, CONGRESS demand the BLM ‘manage’ the wild horses ON THE PUBLIC LAND on their home ranges! (blm has MILLIONS of acres!)
SAVE 40 million dollars right away, first year Congress!! Happier wild horses and happier Horse lovers of America! Happier Taxpayers!!
Demand the BLM use the millions of acres of public land to manage the wild horses!!
LikeLike
Are they going to hire any additional vets or equine care staff with that $12 million to care for the 50% increase in captive horses? Didn’t think so.
LikeLike
This is very sad news, but, not a surprise. I’ve said it MANY times already, either right here, or on other blogs, our “wonderful” (NOT!!!!) government will NOT, &, does NOT, listen to the people (us), or, even care what the people want or say!! They will NEVER change, WE are the ONLY change that’s even remotely possible. Our government is only out for themselves, & their well-being, they’re only interested in big-wigs, powerful companies & people, pleasing them & getting their votes & approval, &, keeping that “almighty dollar” in their pockets, at ALL costs, no matter what!! Our government is full of liars, two-faced idiots, & hypocrites, they are NOT ever to be trusted. If you want something done, or want a “change”, you/we, will have to DO it OURSELVES, take physical action to stand up for what is good & right, for what we believe in, for the wild horses! We HAVE to resort to taking things into OUR own hands, or nothing but death, destruction, terror, sadness, & eventual extinction in the wild, will take place. I do not mean to sound so negative or pessimistic, I’m usually a very positive person, but I’m just stating the truth right now. The fate of America’s beautiful, majestic, noble, iconic & historic, wild free-roaming, NATIVE Mustang is in OUR hands, can we actually DO something to stop this terrible fate, can we STOP our out of control government/BLM ?? I know there ARE some good, caring people in office, but, they are the minority, no one will listen to them, not any more than “they” listen to us. We can & should continue our battles, legally speaking, in courts of “law”(what a JOKE!!), writing & calling, but, in the long or short run, we must ACT on behalf of the wild ones, NOT just talk about it. Our government has & is, STEALING these wild, free creatures from us, from America, & we NEED to take back what is OURS, what is FREE, what America stands for!! These wild horses & burros “belong” to America, & we need to put them back where they belong!! If we keep going through all the legal mumbo-jumbo, being nice & polite, trying to negotiate, spending loads of money in court battles, etc., it will be TOO late, are we going to let that happen? Hope everyone has a Happy & Safe Holiday, cherish those people & animals you treasure, & hold them close to your heart!! 🙂
LikeLike
Extra, Extra, Read All About it.
The fox is found not guilty of chicken theft. He has been offered a job as security chief for the hen house.
Meanwhile, the Emperor is naked. The source of this news refuses to come forward, but is offering a bonus for the optometrist who can cure the Emperor and his cabinet of their failing sight…
And those ancient tales are happening in our government today. I really don’t want to live in the days where America falls…not due to war or illness, but due to financial ruin caused by sheer stupidity…
LikeLike
I may be slightly prejudice but this Report is more than important; it is crucial.
Download the Report. Print it. Place printed pages in a binder or clear plastic sleeve, like a school report. Pick a name and address. Send the Report by Certified Mail.
Send it to your state lawmaker. Send it to your congressional representative. Send it to the media. And remind them, in your own, very articulate words:
This isn’t just about the Wild Horses and Burros getting screwed out of existence. This is about 10’s of millions of dollars being allocated again to a program that has continued to fail each and every assurance it has made for nearly 40 years and has done so by promoting inaccuracies while hoping not to get caught.
This is about vast quantities of money being foolishly appropriated in an economy that is currently debating whether or not to give unemployment to the unemployed, people who have worked hard, been taxed AND paid into the System and are now at risk of losing that which they have already paid dearly for.
$45 Million dollars for a sanctuary for Captive Wild Equines (that don’t cost a damn thing on the range) when half of this country has lost or will lose their homes, when economic recovery is still years away?
HUH-UH.
These ladies – Carla, Leslie and Cindy – have already done the heavy lifting. It is up to us to ensure this Report gets AROUND. And email alone will not cut it – because ‘delete’ can be hit without a second thought. Incoming documentation will be recorded. And certified mail can be tracked.
This is that important.
LikeLike
This is such a thorough, comprehensive and accurate report that it CANNOT be refuted. As Lisa says, Carla, Leslie and Cindy have done the Heavy Lifting. It is our turn to get it out there. This is Powerful Stuff.
LikeLike
Louie and Carla,
I agree, this is a very very important document and should be read and spread by everyone to everyone. I have sent it to a local investigative reporter who knows something about Twin Peaks and to my two governmental representatives. Who else? Is it worth sending to any WH&B BLM? Madeline Pickens? George Knapp? Stamps are cheap and truth is priceless. Need your ideas please and thank you.
LikeLike
Grandma Gregg, any and all Congressmen should have this report. I think it can be downloaded and attached to an email, as Rob suggested. Any and all investigative reporters, newpapers and magazines should have this report. There are probably others here who have more ideas.
LikeLike
Grandma Gregg, as Rob said–especially Congressmen who are on Appropriations Committee should have this report.
LikeLike
http://appropriations.senate.gov/about-members.cfm
Louie – is this the list of senators that need to be sent the report? If not, do you have a list? Thank you.
LikeLike
Grandma Gregg, that’s the list–to the best of my knowledge.
LikeLike
Grandma Gregg, How about C-SPAN? Perhaps we should start sending much of our documentation to them.
C-SPAN Email Addresses
Washington Journal: journal@c-span.org
LikeLike
Will do and thanks.
LikeLike
Lisa, Louie and others. Please excuse my oversight. Sometimes I “get the horse before the cart”. LOL I was previously concentrating on the “refute report” which is SO important and have tried to pass it along and will continue to do so.
I just now realized that there is another VERY important report attached to this HH article that also needs us to take immediate action. The Office of Inspector General’s bogus report. The link is above on the HH site and I have attached it below also. First you need to read this report – and please be forewarned that it will make you sick and as T.A. Paxton said “the fox is in charge of the henhouse”. I have two questions:
#1 Who is in charge of “inspecting” the Office of Inspector General? There is no credibility to this report so what do we do about that? Do I understand that we have 30 days to refute this BS report and if so where do we start? I think this is very important because it not only is wrong, but it will go down in history as true if it is not challenged and corrected.
#2 Has someone already written a page by page rebuttal to this report and if so please tell me where I can find it so I can use it as a template for my own … and/or will one of you please consider writing a sample letter and telling us where and when this needs to be sent? My wish is that this bogus report does not go unchallenged and believe that HH and others will provide the advocates a way of doing this by publicizing the need to dispute this totally incorrect report … and this needs to be done ASAP. I will help but think we need someone with more knowledge on this subject than I possess. Please and thank you.
Click to access BLM%20Wild%20Horse%20and%20Burro%20Program%20Public.pdf
LikeLike