House Interior Bill Attacks Crucial Protections for Imperiled Wildlife and Public Lands

Defenders of Wildlife today slammed the House Appropriations Committee’s proposed Interior and Environment spending bill for Fiscal Year 2027, which includes numerous damaging policy riders intended to weaken the Endangered Species Act and undermine protections for individual species. The bill also includes additional riders that seek to undermine protections for America’s wildlife and public lands and waters.  

“Anti-wildlife Members of Congress just can’t seem to appreciate that the American people cherish our shared wildlife. Repeated attempts to undermine the Endangered Species Act and protections for imperiled species is not what we stand for as a country,” said Mary Beth Beetham, director of legislative affairs at Defenders of Wildlife.  “Scientists have warned that up to one million species globally are at risk of extinction, yet we continue to see legislative attacks on some of America’s most treasured species like the grizzly bear and wolverine.”

Among its most egregious provisions, the bill slashes funding for listing threatened and endangered species under the Endangered Species Act by nearly half the FY27 level and two-thirds below the FY26 level and includes poison-pill riders that would:

• Block funding for listing the greater sage-grouse.  
• Delist the gray wolf.  
• Delist the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem grizzly bear population.  
• Block funding for protecting the wolverine.
• Block funding for protecting the northern long-eared bat.  
• Block funding for protecting the lesser prairie-chicken.
• Block funding for protecting captive fish listed under the ESA, like sturgeon.
• Block funding for reintroducing grizzly bears to the North Cascades Ecosystem.  
• Block funding for reintroducing grizzly bears to the Bitterroot ecosystem.  
• Delist grizzly bears in the Northern Continental Divide Ecosystem.
• Block Biden-era ESA rules.  
• Block funding for the protection of seven freshwater mussel species in Texas.
• Undermine critical habitat protections for Northern spotted owls
• Undermine critical habitat protections for Canada Lynx  
• Reissue a harmful rule overturning legal precedent set by the “Cottonwood” court case.
• Block funding for reintroduction of American bison on the Charles M. Russell National Wildlife Refuge.
• Block funding for science-based management of lead ammunition and tackle.
• Block funding for protection of surface resources and Special Areas in the National Petroleum Reserve – Alaska.  
• Block funding for the designation or management of Big Cypress National Preserve as wilderness.
• Revert to outdated management of the Grand Staircase Escalante National Monument.

###