mr. chairman , i yield myself such time as i may consume . 
mr. chairman , i am offering this amendment on behalf of myself , the gentleman from kentucky ( mr. whitfield ) xz4004310 , the gentleman from new york ( mr. sweeney ) xz4003930 , and the gentleman from south carolina ( mr. spratt ) xz4003860 . 
mr. chairman , america is blessed with a rich natural heritage . 
part of that heritage are the herds of wild horses , direct descendants of animals that came here with early explorers and missionaries , which still roam the ranges in parts of the american west . 
in 1971 , congress formally protected these wild horses and mandated that they could not be sold or processed into commercial products , in effect , slaughtered . 
since that time , when the bureau of land management has determined that the wild horse population is excessive to the ability of the range to support them , captured animals have been offered to the public through adoption . 
all of that changed as a result of a rider tucked away in the dead of night in the massive omnibus appropriations bill enacted last december . 
with no public notice or comment , this rider trashed 33 years of national policy and lifted the prohibition on the commercial sale of america 's wild horses . 
today , the gentleman from kentucky ( mr. whitfield ) xz4004310 and i , along with our colleagues , the gentleman from new york ( mr. sweeney ) xz4003930 and the gentleman from south carolina ( mr. spratt ) xz4003860 , are offering this amendment to restore that prohibition , to stop the slaughter . 
there is an urgency here . 
so far this year , 41 wild horses that we know of have been sent to one of the three foreign-owned slaughterhouses in this country . 
moreover , the blm has estimated that 8 , 400 horses need to be sold to comply with the recent change in the law . 
to what end ? 
to what end , i ask ? 
so their meat can end up on menus in france , belgium and japan where it is considered a delicacy . 
incredible , simply incredible . 
we do not allow the commercial sale of horse flesh in this country for human consumption , but we are exporting horse meat for that purpose abroad . 
since introducing the legislation which is the basis for this amendment , i have received an impressive volume of heartfelt letters and e-mails from across the nation . 
the very notion that wild american horses would be slaughtered as a food source for foreign gourmets has struck a chord with the american people . 
they see in this issue the pioneering spirit and the ideals of freedom , and the current policy has created disillusionment with many over how their government works and what their elected leaders stand for . 
from florida , stacey wrote , `` knowing that the horses wo n't be there for my kids has made me feel sad , hurt and angry at our government. '' a former west virginian named valerie who now resides in nevada wrote , `` i , and our friends , have enjoyed going on to the desert to see wild horses roaming free. '' jeremy from oregon wrote , `` your support will help to restore the public 's confidence by assuring us that congress operates under the principles of for the people and by the people. '' we must restore the people 's faith . 
we must stop the slaughter of these american icons . 
a week and a half ago , an annual rite of spring was held called the running of the kentucky derby , a uniquely american institution . 
i am wearing on my lapel a pin here , a symbol which bears the likeness of ferdinand who won the 1986 derby and the 1987 breeders ' cup classic , notable achievements . 
yet his reward was to end his life in a japanese slaughterhouse . 
ferdinand was not a wild horse , true , from the american plain , but the issue is one in the same . 
as children , many of us recall reading the compelling story in the book `` misty of chincoteague. '' what type of message would we be sending today 's youth if misty was rounded up and sent to be slaughtered . 
for misty 's sake , for america 's sake , vote for the rahall-whitfield amendment . 
mr. chairman , i yield 5 minutes to the gentleman from kentucky ( mr. whitfield ) xz4004310 , a cosponsor of the amendment . 
