Mud sparing
Please remember when you reach out to your lawmakers they are not experts in the field of public lands and wild horses, they are in politics. They also appear to be unaware of where the line for wild horses and burros crosses from a public lands issue into domesticc law (the title transfer).
It is a good idea to to send letters or make appointments that discuss each subject individually to avoid confusing your lawmakers. Simple messaging that points directly to a specific action is the goal when talking to your lawmakers.
We are breaking down the calls you should make to lawmaker this week into distinct articles to keep it short, simple and help you in your advocacy.
What is SAFE?
Safeguard America’s Forgotten Equines (S.A.F.E.) Act is a bill that would make horse slaughter illegal in the US. This is essentially a domestic animal bill. Once title transfers (after adoption or sale) a wild horse or burro is a domestic under law and loses any protection afforded by the 1971 Act.
Make the call: SAFE
The House Agriculture Subcommittee on Livestock, Dairy, and Poultry will determine if this bill will go for a floor vote. At this time, it looks like SAFE may not go for a vote, even though it has more cosponsors than bills that do go for a vote. PLEASE make calls. Do not rely on automated letters.
Call (202) 224-3121. Ask to be connected to your House representative (the operator will ask for your district by zip code or location).
Say: “Please help get the SAFE Act, HR 3475, out of committee and to a floor vote. Many bills that do not have this many cosponsors have gone to a vote. Americans do not eat horses and do not raise them for food. Shipping horses and burros to other countries represents a serious health risk. Please help get this important bill to a vote and not let it die in committee. As a constituent, this bill to stop the slaughter and transport to slaughter of American equines is important to me.Please do what you can to get this bill to a floor vote.”
Then call the same number and ask to be connected to your Senator. Repeat the script but use bill number S 2037.
S.A.F.E. currently has 223 cosponsors in the House. To pass a bill on a floor vote in the House requires 218 votes. This is not the first time SAFE has had enough cosponsors to pass the House and has not gotten through the rest of the process (floor vote, Senate vote, signed by President) to become law before the expiration of the session after the new year.
To pass the Senate, the bill would need 51 votes. At this time there are only 11 cosponsors.
SAFE is a simple bill that would make transport to slaughter (and killing of equines on US soil for the purpose of human consumption) illegal in all 50 states. This bill would help stop all equines from the camp or work horse to the wild horse or burro sent through the BLM Sale program or Adoption Incentive Program (AIP) from being shipped to slaughter.
At this juncture click and send letters simply will not carry as much weight as a fast phone call.
In the House the bill is HR 3475 and in the Senate the bill is referenced as S 2037.
Find your reps at http://govtrack.us
Call (202) 224-3121. Ask to be connected to your House representative (the operator will ask for your district by zip code or location).
Say: “Please help get the SAFE Act, HR 3475, out of committee and to a floor vote. Many bills that do not have this many cosponsors have gone to a vote. Americans do not eat horses and do not raise them for food. Shipping horses and burros to other countries represents a serious health risk. Please help get this important bill to a vote and not let it die in committee. As a constituent, this bill to stop the slaughter and transport to slaughter of American equines is important to me.Please do what you can to get this bill to a floor vote.”
Then call the same number and ask to be connected to your Senator. Repeat the script but use bill number S 2037.
If you want to talk about anything else, ask to set up an appointment (most will do Zoom) to discuss anything else.
Try not to mix passing the SAFE Act with things like helicopter roundups. Congressional aides can get confused and muddy your message.
The debate for the 2025 Spending bill (Appropriations) is just beginning. Other bills that could impact wild horses directly and indirectly are working through the system.
Part 2 will covers the spending bill.
Today, take a minute out of your day and make a call to help pass the SAFE Act.
Footnote from from the Inbox: This time of year many of you are being bombarded with sign on letters to “save wild horses” in the form of petitions and click and send letters that go directly to your lawmakers. But what do those letters do?
This time of year we get a lot of questions that include questions about mailers you receive from other organizations. If you receive a mailer from another org that you have questions about, you need to ask them. We know many mailers use a type of “short-handed speak” that fails to connect the dots that show how what they are asking for leads to the outcome they claim. You should ask them for additional information and explanation and then use your own judgment to decide if you support what they are asking for or not. We will address questions directly related to our work.
In general:
Automated letters that go to your representatives in the House or Senate will get a response letter. You can use the contact info for additional follow-up correspondence.
Sign-on letters that are attached to an agency NEPA document (EA, EIS, etc.) do not require a response letter and are generally NOT counted as a unique comment. Writing your own letter, if you have time, is a much better avenue to try to impact a roundup plan or other plan.
Our teams are out in the field and working hard on the backside doing outreach and briefing active litigation.
Categories: Wild Horse Education
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