Editor's Note: This updates with additional reactions from conservation groups.
Speaker Mike Johnson pulled from floor consideration H.R. 1897, the Endangered Species Act Amendments Act of 2025, also known as the “Extinction Act,” following outcry from both Republicans and Democrats, according to the Center for Biological Diversity. The legislation would have gutted the Endangered Species Act and put hundreds of animals and plants at risk of extinction.
“This is a huge win for whales, sea turtles, monarch butterflies and so many other animals and plants that Americans love and want to see protected,” said Stephanie Kurose, deputy director of government affairs at the Center. “This should be a wake-up call to Rep. (Bruce) Westerman that not even his own colleagues support his extreme attacks on wildlife.”
The act was poised to:
- Narrow the consultations that limit harm from federal projects to listed species — potentially to the point of making them meaningless.
- Weaken safeguards for the “take permits” that allow harm/killing of listed species.
- Dramatically extend the timeline for listing decisions while imperiled species continue to decline — even to the point of overwriting court-ordered deadlines.
- Shift science-based decision making by elevating consideration of state and locally submitted data, regardless of its quality.
- Risks vastly expanding the use of exemptions under the God Squad.
- Erode public accountability in wildlife management.
“Congress is finally listening to the majority of Americans who support the Endangered Species Act, rather than centering politics and money in its policy decisions,” said Mary Beth, legislative director of Defenders of Wildlife. “The decision to not advance the vote keeps current safeguards in place, which have protected 99% of species from extinction. While there is still much more work to secure lasting protections for wildlife, today’s outcome is a meaningful victory for conservation.”
“Given the more than 58,000 emails sent to elected officials, along with hundreds—if not thousands—of calls made in just the past few days, it is clear that the American people support the Endangered Species Act, understand its value, and want its protections for threatened and endangered wildlife to remain in place," said Jewel Tomasula, Policy Director for the Endangered Species Coalition. "This is a welcome sign that efforts to gut protections for imperiled species are not moving forward on Earth Day. We’re glad Congress is hearing their constituent’s concerns about Westerman’s harmful bill and taking pause to listen.”
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