Last month, Safeguard America’s Forgotten Equines (SAFE Act) was reintroduced (and sponsored by) by Sens. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) and Ben Ray Luján (D-N.M.) in the Senate and Reps. Vern Buchanan (R-Fla.) and Jan Schakowsky (D-Ill.) in the House.

The introduced legislation would permanently ban the slaughter of horses for human consumption and would also prohibit the export of live horses to Mexican and Canadian slaughterhouses to be sold overseas. The lawmakers hope to include the SAFE Act as part of the 2025 Farm Bill when it is considered by Congress later this year.

In the House the bill is now referenced as H.R. 1661 and in the Senate as S. 775.

It is really important when you contact lawmakers to use the bill number and not simply say “SAFE.” Give the bill number and full title: Safeguard America’s Forgotten Equines Act. Every year numerous bills will use the acronym “SAFE.”

You can send a letter to your House and Senate Representatives by simply clicking HERE. 

The week of March 24, many advocate organizations and citizens will be lobbying in DC and in local offices of both House and Senate Representatives for wild horses and burros. Save Our Wild Horses and Wildlife set up a “how to get an appointment” page HERE. You do not have to meet with your lawmakers in DC. You can meet in person at the local office or meet virtually with staff. 

If you choose to engage your lawmakers personally, remember there are only two things Congress can do: introduce and vote on a bill (law) or engage in creating language for the Appropriations (funding) bills. So phrase your requests to suit those two actions that your representative can take. (Like cosponsoring SAFE outlined in the first section of this article).

When addressing funding, you are now addressing language for the 2026 fiscal year budget. The 2025 budget passed in a Continuing Resolution that essentially keeps the status quo running with cuts outside the Wild Horse and Burro Program.

Our wild ones needs you to take an additional step, beyond passing SAFE, to protect them from the the slaughter pipeline or being killed outright. 

Passage of the SAFE Act would impact wild horses and burros after they have been adopted or sold and title transfers. Once title transfers, a wild horse or burro loses any protection under the 1971 Wild Free-Roaming Horses and Burros Act and is treated as a domestic under law.

There is clear debate happening that will gut funding in the Wild Horse and Burro Program in 2026. There is a real focus on proposing language that will either sell off horses and burros in holding without limits (slaughter) or killing them outright to save money on their care.

We still have deep reforms that can be addressed in the funding bill like withholding of funding pending a report or investigation, prohibition of funding for removals until BLM crafts a Herd Management Area Plan (HMAP) and discloses a data-based AML (Appropriate Management Level or number the BLM says the range can sustain) that the courts have ruled were illegally withheld and, once and for all, the formalization of a real welfare policy through rulemaking. 

However, please make sure that you say loud and clear that selling captive wild horses and burros without limits (slaughter) and/or killing them outright is simply an outrage the American people will not tolerate. 

We created a fast “click and send” letter that will automatically go to your representatives to begin your conversation with your lawmakers regarding the 2026 budget bill. Click HERE. 

We know your time is limited. 

WHE are battling out issues ranging from abuse, lack of transparency and the broken on range broken for both wild horses and burros in the courts. Members of the WHE team will be participating in discussions with lawmakers next week.

If all you have time to do is send the two letters outlined in this article, you will help raise the profile of organizations and individuals meeting with members of Congress. If you are going to make an appointment to speak to your representatives, after you send the letters in this article you should receive a reply letter with contact info you can use for further correspondence.

If you have additional time and want to begin creating a relationship with your own representatives, Save Our Wild Horses and Wildlife set up a “how to get an appointment” page HERE.  You do not have to meet with your lawmakers in DC. You can meet in person at the local office or meet virtually with staff. 

Over the next 7 days, we ask that you raise your voice by sending the easy letters in this article, calling your reps or making an appointment to speak with them.

The ranks of advocates that care about our wild ones are many.

This week… be herd. 

We need your support to keep our critical work alive. We must keep active litigation running to conclusion and launch new cases as needed to keep a strong line of defense. 

All of our work is only possible with your support. We thank you for keeping the critical work we do at WHE running for our wild ones.