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Funding for the 'Adoption Incentive Program" for 2025 should be reduced to 20 percent of the 2025 request. The agency should be precluded from expenditures which increase the number of new animals introduced into the program. Expenditures should be permitted ONLY to administer animals previously removed from public lands in a maintenance mode.
The 2025 Department of Interior, Bureau of Land Management, Wild Horse and Burro Program Budget Justification (p V-58) bases the justification on DECEPTION THROUGH PARTIAL DISCLOSURE of program scope and longevity.
The requested increase of $21,899,000 does not disclose the scope of the Wild Horse and Burro Management program which will last nearly 30 years. Each subsequent year the program will require increased allocation and staffing based on the goals and scope. It is this scope that impacts the Adopt-A-Horse program driving out the disbursal of animals removed from public lands for years to come.
While asking for a 2025 allocation of $550,000 and no additional staffing for the Adopt-A-Horse program appears to be in line – the facts are quite different.
The Adoption Incentive component of the Wild Horse and Burro Program lost over $1,600,000 dollars in 2023. It annually registers a loss. The plan goals and scope are unsustainable.
