April 22, 2026
House Republicans abruptly canceled a vote on a Bill that would significantly undermine the Endangered Species Act, scheduled for a House vote on Earth Day April 22. The ESA Amendments Act HR 1897, introduced by Representative Westerman (R-Ark) would weaken the 52 year old law that has protected thousands of endangered species from extinction. Important language under review includes permitting, interagency review and critical habitat protection that species rely on to survive. Westerman’s Endangered Species Amendment Act would continue the Administration’s goals to weaken the ESA.
Since the first Trump administration, Trump and congressional Republicans have attempted to weaken the ESA. Just last month, after 7 years of legal wrangling, a federal court struck down President Trump’s attacks against the Endangered Species Act (ESA) That language would have limited habitat protections, and require agencies to conduct economic and national security analyses when determining whether to list a plant or animal as endangered or threatened. Like Westerman’s new Bill, the 2019 changes would extend the deadlines required for listing decisions and fast-track the delisting process.
The court ruling reaffirms that federal agencies must use the best available science when assessing harm to species, and they cannot ignore incremental harm to critical habitat. It also ruled that the governing agencies (USFWS and NOAA) must firmly commit to any measures relied upon to reduce harm to imperiled plants and animals.
Republican lawmakers, mostly in tourism-dependent in Florida pushed back. U.S. Representative Kat Cammack (R-Fla.) led the opposition on the proposed of the Endangered Species Act. The vote cancellation came after the administration issued a controversial exemption for oil and gas drilling in the Gulf of Mexico from conservation measures required by the ESA. Representative Cammack (R-Fla.) said she is concerned about “opening up any potential avenues for drilling in the Gulf.”
The 2026 ESA amendments would limit habitat protections, require agencies to conduct economic and national security analyses when determining whether to list a plant or animal as endangered or threatened, extend the deadlines required for listing decisions and fast-track the delisting process.
“Don’t tread on my turtles,” U.S. Rep. Anna Paulina Luna (R-Fla.) wrote ahead of the pending vote. “Protected means protected.”
Prior to the vote, a hand-delivered letter was given to members of Congress, urging them to oppose the ESA Amendments Act of 2025 (H.R. 1897), legislation they say would undermine protections for Florida’s wildlife, habitats, and the communities and businesses that depend on them.
The Endangered Species Act (ESA), passed with overwhelming bipartisan support in 1973 and is one of America’s most successful and important environmental laws. The ESA protects plant and animal species at risk of extinction by:
- Listing species as endangered or threatened based on scientific evidence
- Protecting critical habitat necessary for species survival and recovery
- Prohibiting harmful actions such as killing, harming, or harassing listed species
- Requiring federal agencies to ensure their actions do not jeopardize listed species
- Creating recovery plans with concrete steps to restore populations
The law recognizes that species have intrinsic value and that biodiversity is essential to healthy ecosystems that all Americans depend upon.