For those of you tracking the Fiscal Year 2026 Budget Debate, we wanted to get this urgent update out to you as quickly as possible. Two critical congressional hearings are coming up that will directly impact the 2026 federal budget for Wild Horses and Burros. You can see more on the Presidential Budget Request HERE and, on the page click the word “Appendix” to find the document that will be the subject of these hearings. There is a lot going on in this budget request and we do not know how long these proceedings will take.

To understand more about how the Appropriations (Spending Bill) is supposed to be done, we created a guide to help you follow the steps back in February HERE.

These are the oversight hearings noted in our guide. The debate for fiscal year 2026 is running a bit behind schedule and is still lacking in specificity.

Click image to see more

1. U.S. Senate Hearing

Topic: President’s FY 2026 Budget Request for the U.S. Department of the Interior
Date: TUESDAY, June 11, 2025, 10 a.m. Eastern Time

 Senate Energy & Natural Resources Committee

Watch HERE

You have to click the link above to watch the Senate Hearing. They are using an internal live stream.

Senator King (I-ME) noting the DOI budget request packet from 2025 on the right side of the screen and the FY2026 in his hand on the left.

Overview post hearing: One of the frustrating aspects of the budget requests for FY2026 shared by interests across the board is the lack of detailed information. As wild horse and burro advocates we share that frustration. The lack of specific information led to a lot of deep concern, particularly over public land sales and the decommissioning of National Monuments.

The BLM Wild Horse and Burro Program was not brought up by any Senator nor mentioned by Secretary of the Interior Burgum. Above is the one paragraph that notes the program in the Department of Interior request; literally just this one sentence. You can access the DOI request HERE.

Taken in context with the Presidential Budget Request that omits protections against killing healthy wild horses and burros in holding (tens of thousands of them) or selling them without limits (slaughter), the single sentence and avoidance of the subject at the hearing today is disturbing. (See more about the Presidential Budget Request HERE)

All he says is “expand the use of appropriate tools.” Now we know that when the phrase “We are not using all the tools in the toolbox” has been used in any political debate, it has been the way sales to slaughter and killing horses/burros has been stated without directly using language the American public will find abhorrent. (See more on “tools in the toolbox” HERE)

A Full Committee Oversight Hearing will be held tomorrow in the U.S. House of Representatives (info below).

You can find House Natural Resources Committee Members HERE.