GOP-Controlled House Natural Resources Committee to Target Endangered Species Act, Marine Mammals Protection Act, and Vulnerable Species at Hearing Today

Today, the House Committee on Natural Resources will hold an oversight hearing at 10 a.m. ET to “evaluate the implementation” of the Endangered Species Act (ESA) and the Marine Mammal Protection Act (MMPA). Chaired by Rep. Bruce Westerman (R-Ark.), the Republican-controlled committee is expected to use the hearing to mischaracterize the ESA and MMPA as laws that stand in the way of industry wish list projects, and to tee up legislation that would weaken those laws and strip vulnerable species of their protected status.

In a hearing memo, Chair Westerman falsely claims that these laws have been exploited “to stifle development and hinder species recovery.” Westerman also refers to President Trump’s fossil fuel themed “energy emergency” order, which attempts to sidestep government processes to expedite extraction (the U.S. is producing more oil than any nation in history and is also the world’s largest producer of gas). The order specifically mentions a rarely used ESA provision that empowers a committee of the president’s own appointees to decide the fate of endangered species. The memo does not refer to President Trump’s termination of hundreds of U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service employees — nearly 5 percent of the agency’s workforce — which is already critically understaffed. Without those employees, project proposals could slow while species suffer.

“The purpose of this hearing is to lay the groundwork for baseless legislative attacks on the Endangered Species Act and wildlife that remain in dire need of protected status,” said Earthjustice legislative director for lands, wildlife, and oceans Addie Haughey. “This counters what the vast majority of Americans want for vulnerable species and our ecosystems. Additionally, Chair Westerman claims the ESA is not being implemented effectively, to the detriment of projects getting approved, but President Trump just fired hundreds of federal workers who are directly responsible for moving those projects forward.”

The ESA is responsible for saving 99 percent of protected species from perishing, and has been key in preventing the degradation and destruction of millions of acres of forests, beaches, and wetlands that are vital to healthy ecosystems that support $2.1 trillion of the U.S. GDP. More than four out of five Americans support the ESA, which plays a key role in everything from keeping our water clean, to sustaining fisheries and pollinators that we rely on for farming.

In the last Congress, Republicans attempted to undo Biden administration improvements to the ESA following the first Trump administration’s unprecedented damage to the widely popular law. House members also attempted to pick off protections on behalf of industry for individual species including the lesser prairie-chicken and the northern long-eared bat. Relatedly, Project 2025 called for removing protections from species including gray wolves and Yellowstone grizzlies, the latter of which USFWS just confirmed still requires protections.