Defenders of Wildlife released its 2025 Conservation Report Card for the 119th Congress, measuring members’ commitment to upholding federal laws that protect wildlife conservation during its first session. The report card points out several votes that harmed conservation efforts, including a House vote to undermine the Endangered Species Act by revoking protections for the endangered longfin smelt and the gray wolf.
Additionally, the report card highlights that the House and Senate worked to politicize federal agency decision making to save species from extinction and undo science-based protections for important habitats. The House also voted to weaken environmental reviews and other protections to allow more logging, oil development and mining on federal lands. The Senate voted to confirm oil advocate Doug Burgum as the Secretary of the Interior and rejected an amendment encouraging the reinstatement of recently fired federal land managers.
“This report serves as an educational resource for constituents who seek a clear overview of how their elected officials responded to critical wildlife legislation,” said Mary Beth Beetham, director of government relations at Defenders of Wildlife. “Congress took several votes to weaken conservation protections last year, including attacks on the integrity of the Endangered Species Act – a bedrock law that has prevented 99% of listed species from extinction – disregarding science to the detriment of wildlife.”
Fortunately, the House ultimately voted down an amendment to exempt the military from complying with the Endangered Species Act, and the Senate defeated a measure to reject science-based protections to stop the imminent extinction of the northern spotted owl.
“The votes we scored are critical to defending America’s lands and wildlife and we applaud the members who stood against these damaging bills,” said Beetham. “It’s important now more than ever for allies of wildlife everywhere to step up to join the fight against extinction.”
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