Hundreds of Thousands of Americans Oppose Trump Administration Effort to Roll Back Protections for Imperiled Species

Washington, D.C. —

Nearly 400,000 Americans submitted comments in opposition to a set of proposed rules from the Trump administration that would roll back protections for imperiled animal and plant species across the United States and undermine the nation’s most successful conservation law.

The Trump administration’s rules would fundamentally weaken the Endangered Species Act (ESA) — a law responsible for saving 99% of species under its protection from going extinct including bald eagles, Florida manatees, humpback whales, and polar bears. The ESA is also instrumental in safeguarding ecosystems that humans rely on for everything from access to clean water, the pollination of crops, and the development of medicine. Additionally, the ESA remains overwhelmingly popular, with more than four in five Americans in support of the law.

The administration held a 30-day public comment period, which concludes today. Scientists and faith leaders were among the hundreds of thousands of people who voiced their opposition to the proposed rules. Conservation and animal welfare groups whose memberships include millions of people throughout the U.S. issued the following statements:

“The Trump administration’s cruel attempt to weaken protections for imperiled plants and animals has been met with a huge wave of opposition,” said Ben Levitan, Earthjustice senior attorney. “In only one month, hundreds of thousands of Americans have spoken up to defend the Endangered Species Act. This attack on the ESA is not just about the harm it would bring to wildlife and ecosystems, it’s also a threat from the Trump administration to violate the law and ignore the popular will in order to serve well-connected special interests. Earthjustice will continue to do everything in its power to defend this bedrock environmental law.”

“These proposed changes to the ESA are a giveaway to billionaires and will potentially cause imperiled species to face extinction at a time when we should be strengthening protections,” said Kristin Combs, Executive Director for Wyoming Wildlife Advocates. “Extractive industries stand to profit at the expense of species on the brink during the sixth mass extinction.”

“If this administration was serious about cutting red tape, they’d give agencies the resources they need to get the job done, not leave them powerless to fulfill their mission,” said Ramona McGee, a senior attorney and Wildlife Program leader at the Southern Environmental Law Center. “This is part of a larger, coordinated effort to put polluting industries ahead of wildlife, our environment, and the American people.” 

“The Endangered Species Act has been at the forefront of protecting wildlife for over 50 years, saving nearly all listed species in the U.S. from extinction. The administration’s proposals to drastically weaken the ESA’s implementing regulations threaten this track record, and will have grave consequences for animals, plants, ecosystems and human well-being,” said Jane Davenport, senior attorney at Defenders of Wildlife. “These proposals are cause for alarm not only to conservationists, but also to the American public. The administration should withdraw these proposals as inconsistent with the ESA’s mandate that science, not politics, guide its implementation.”

“Hundreds of thousands of Americans just delivered a simple message—don’t gut the Endangered Species Act,” said Rebecca Riley, Managing Director at NRDC. “The ESA has saved 99% of listed species while safeguarding the clean water, healthy ecosystems, and pollinators our communities rely on. Weakening these bedrock protections would drive wildlife closer to extinction and put people at risk. The administration should listen to science, the law, and the public and withdraw these dangerous rollbacks.”

“Once again, President Trump is attacking the weakest – this time endangered species –  to put money in the pockets of billionaires,” said Susan Holmes, Executive Director of the Endangered Species Coalition. “This overwhelming response from the American public reflects what we have known for decades: the Endangered Species Act is one of our nation’s most effective and most popular conservation laws, and Americans do not want to see it dismantled. The public clearly rejects Trump’s extreme anti-wildlife proposals that ignore science, undermine protections that have saved 99 percent of listed species from extinction, and put both the wildlife we treasure at risk. The message could not be clearer: the Endangered Species Act must be defended and strengthened, not rolled back.” 

“Over the last 50 years, the Endangered Species Act has protected 99% of the listed species, which is an extraordinary achievement that has historically been celebrated across the political spectrum,” said Katherine Miller, U.S. Country Director for FOUR PAWS International. “This important law has saved iconic animals such as bald eagles and grizzly bears in the U.S. and helps protect endangered species such as tigers and orangutans around the globe. But this success is under threat. Weakening the ESA would erase decades of progress and threaten the existence of vulnerable wildlife worldwide. The Endangered Species Act works, and we must protect it.”

“The Trump administration is stopping at nothing in its quest to put corporate polluters over people, wildlife, and the environment. But Sierra Club supporters aren’t buying it. More than 17,000 of our members spoke out to defend the Endangered Species Act and make clear that weakening this bedrock environmental law is unacceptable,” said Ben Greuel, Wildlife Campaign Manager at the Sierra Club. “After failing to sell off our public lands and waters, this administration is now trying to greenlight the destruction of critical wildlife habitat and push endangered species closer to extinction. For decades, the Sierra Club has fought to uphold the Endangered Species Act, and we will continue to stand up for wildlife and wild places, and the laws that protect them.”

“Radicals across all branches of the federal government are looking to strip our bedrock environmental and wildlife protection laws of their power and potency, and we won’t stand for it,” said Chris Allieri, Executive Director, NYC Plover Project. “This isn’t the will of the people. It’s unscientific, unfounded, and unethical. The Endangered Species Act works and needs no amendments. This is clearly a last-minute rush to destroy wildlife and send fragile species on a path to extinction at the eleventh hour of 2025.” 

“Efforts to roll back the Endangered Species Act (ESA) is irresponsible and reprehensible,” said Elizabeth Purcell, Environmental Policy Coordinator at Turtle Island Restoration Network. “We know the ESA works. We have witnessed species recover because of the protections the ESA provides. Prioritizing industry gain and allowing economic interests to override science-based decisions about endangered species protection is reckless. We must protect the ESA and all species who rely on it.”

“The proposed rules represent a blatant attempt to turn back the clock on science and the progress made over the last 50 years in saving hundreds of species and millions of acres of habitat,” said Nadia Steinzor, Carnivore Conservation Director at Project Coyote. “The Administration is ignoring the fact that a large majority of Americans want stronger protections for wildlife and the environment, which benefit everyone—not more harm to wildlife and nature so a few can profit.”

“These rules aren’t about efficiency or reform, they’re about lowering the bar for extinction,” said Josh Osher, public policy director for Western Watersheds Project. “The public response makes clear that Americans understand exactly what’s happening here, and they are rejecting an administration that treats vanishing species as collateral damage.”