National Endangered Species Coalition Responds to Republican-led Congressional Attacks on ESA and Gray Wolves Niki Tue, 03/25/2025 - 11:04 Photo by Ronnie MacDonald March 25, 2025 Washington, DC—Today, the Republican-led US House Natural Resources Subcommittee on Water, Wildlife and Fisheries considered legislation that would dramatically weaken the widely popular Endangered Species Act and strip protections for gray wolves in 48 states. No vote was taken.The first bill—the ESA Amendments Act of 2025 (H.R. 1897), introduced by Rep. Bruce Westerman (R-Ark.)—would gut critical protections provided by the ESA to thousands of imperiled species, upend the scientific consultation process (which has been the cornerstone of American species protection for 50 years), and slow listings to a crawl while fast-tracking delistings. Moreover, the bill would allow increased exploitation of threatened species while shifting their management from federal to state authorities—even while these species remain listed under the ESA.The second bill—the so-called Pet and Livestock Protection Act of 2025 (H.R. 845), introduced by Reps. Lauren Boebert (R-CO) and Tom Tiffany (R-WI)—would reissue the first Trump administration’s delisting of the gray wolf across most of the United States and bar judicial review of that action. In 2022, a federal court reversed this delisting, after conservation groups challenged it.In addition to congressional attacks on the ESA and gray wolves, the Trump administration recently terminated hundreds of employees at both the US Fish and Wildlife Service and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration—agencies that were already critically understaffed. Without these employees, it will be even harder for disappearing vulnerable species to receive crucial protections, and for vitally important ecosystems to remain intact across the United States.In response to these actions, conservation and animal protection groups from across the country sent a letter to the House subcommittee outlining opposition to the bills. Additionally, members of the the national Endangered Species Coalition, including the Animal Welfare Institute (AWI), Defenders of Wildlife, Earthjustice, FOUR PAWS USA, Humane World Action Fund, NYC Plover Project, Sierra Club, Western Watersheds Project, and WildEarth Guardians, have registered their opposition."These extreme bills would gut protections for wildlife under the Endangered Species Act. They are being introduced against a backdrop of sudden and indiscriminate firings across the US Fish and Wildlife Service and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, robbing these agencies of the experts who implement these crucial protections based on the best available science,” said Susan Millward, AWI’s Executive Director and Chief Executive Officer. “These assaults on wildlife protections come at a time of staggering biodiversity loss, and imperiled species don't have the luxury of waiting out these political games." Media Contact Information Marjorie Fishman, Animal Welfare Institutemargie@awionline.org, (202) 446-2128 The Animal Welfare Institute (awionline.org) is a nonprofit charitable organization founded in 1951 and dedicated to alleviating animal suffering caused by people. We seek to improve the welfare of animals everywhere: in agriculture, in commerce, in our homes and communities, in research, and in the wild. Follow us on Facebook, Instagram, Threads, Bluesky, and LinkedIn for updates and other important animal protection news.