Washington, DC

Today, Reps. Grijalva (D-AZ), Dingell (D-MI) and Beyer (D-VA), and Sen. Udall (D-NM), introduced bills to reverse the Trump administration’s attack on the Endangered Species Act (ESA). Leaders of the U.S. House of Representatives Endangered Species Caucus introduced a bill, “Protect America’s Wildlife and Fish in Need of Protection Act of 2019.” Members of Congress are fighting back against the Trump administration’s new regulations that will eliminate key protections for threatened species, weaken bedrock consultation requirements, allow for burdensome and inappropriate cost-benefit analyses in the ESA’s listing process and much more.

Jamie Rappaport Clark, Former president and CEO of Defenders of Wildlife, issued the following statement: 

“Americans overwhelmingly support the Endangered Species Act, which imperiled wildlife rely upon for their very survival. On the heels of a new report sounding the alarm that nearly 1 million species are at risk of extinction, the Trump administration recklessly weakened the implementation of the ESA.

“We applaud wildlife champions in Congress for pushing back against these destructive policy changes and sustaining our nation’s commitment to the protection of imperiled species.” 

For more information on the Trump administration’s ESA regulations, read Defenders of Wildlife’s press statement here.

For nearly 80 years, Defenders of Wildlife has worked to protect and restore America’s wildlife at risk of extinction, advancing a vision of a future in which wildlife thrives, sustained by broad public support and a resilient network of healthy lands and waters. With a network of more than 2 million supporters, Defenders is an advocate for innovative solutions to safeguard wildlife for generations to come. To learn more, please visit https://defenders.org/newsroom or follow us on Instagram @defendersofwildlife.  

 

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