Washington, D.C. - U.S. Representative Charles Bass (R-NH02) continued the fight against “cowboy welfare” today by sponsoring an amendment to the Fiscal Year 2001 Agriculture Appropriations Act to reduce spending for the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Wildlife Services (WS) livestock protection program. The amendment, which fell short of the necessary votes for passage, would have also limited the agency’s ability to use lethal predator control methods for the purpose of livestock protection.

“The Wildlife Services livestock protection program amounts to a de facto subsidy for wealthy ranchers and other resource users, and is simply another form of corporate welfare,” said Bass. “Taxpayers should not be required to subsidize western ranchers who use this program to kill wild animals that prey on their livestock. It is time to put an end to this wasteful and unnecessary part of Wildlife Services.

“Furthermore, Wildlife Services uses inhumane and ecologically unsound killing practices, such as poisoning, clubbing, and aerial gunning,” added Bass. “This amendment would not restrict the tools private ranchers can use to protect livestock. But it would reduce the federal government’s direct involvement in these activities.”

This is the Congressman’s third attempt to reduce funding for the program. The bipartisan amendment introduced by Congressman Peter Defazio (D-OR) and Rep. Bass would have cut $7 million from the program, which would force WS to act more economically and provide non-lethal technical assistance to ranchers. The amendment, which failed on a 190-228 vote, received the endorsement of several organizations, including all major humane groups, the Sierra Club, Taxpayers for Common Sense, and the League of Conservation Voters.