Defenders Condemns Dangerous New Attempt to Gut Endangered Species Act

Defenders of Wildlife today condemned the continued assault on the Endangered Species Act by Rep. Bruce Westerman (R-AR), Chair of the House Natural Resources Committee. Rep. Westerman’s recently introduced bill “Endangered Species Amendment Act of 2025” comes on the heels of several recent hearings by the Committee on Natural Resources focused on rolling back key provisions of the ESA and other bedrock conservation laws. Rep. Westerman’s bill is the most recent anti-wildlife bill and would gut core protections that safeguard America’s wildlife by prioritizing politics over science, fast-tracking species to extinction.  

“The Endangered Species Act is a historical promise that we will leave a future rich in wildlife for generations to come,” said Robert Dewey, vice president of government relations for Defenders. “It is a sad state of affairs that some politicians in Congress are actively working to weaken or eliminate essential protections and condemn our nation’s wildlife to extinction. We urge our elected leaders to consider the consequences of endorsing a bill that goes against American values and the overwhelming support of the American public for the Endangered Species Act.”

Although the bill has not yet been released in full, based on its sponsor’s press release it is apparent this destructive bill would roll back key ESA protections. It threatens to slow-walk species listing under the ESA, depriving species of the law’s protection while they continue to slide, and then to fast-track their delisting. The bill also threatens to undermine the work of the federal experts—including scientists with decades of experience—by shifting key pieces of imperiled species management to state agencies that may lack the resources to do this critical work. At a time when federal agency experts are already under attack from the administration, this bill adds insult to injury. Finally, the bill appears to strike at the heart of the ESA by gutting the consultation process that ensures that federal agencies themselves do not take actions likely to make species go extinct.

“At a time when climate change and a hostile administration are attacking our nation’s wildlife, it is more important than ever that we stand up for endangered species,” said Dewey. “This disastrously terrible bill would eliminate a time-tested approach in favor of a system that is being thrown into place with no preparation or research.”

The ESA has helped make America unmatched at preserving and restoring endangered species. 95% of the species listed in the ESA have been saved from extinction, including our nation’s symbol, the bald eagle. Attacks on the ESA threaten all this success and will result in irreversible damage to wildlife.  

The ESA needs no “reform.” The law is already remarkably flexible because of its mandate to follow the best available science, which evolves over time. The ESA also provides mechanisms accounting for the views of a broad set of stakeholders, including states and local jurisdictions, while providing last-resort protections that ensure that species do not disappear forever.  

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