A humpback whale dives. Photo Credit: Mark J. Palmer
A humpback whale dives. Photo Credit: Mark J. Palmer

Republican Leadership Backs Off Gutting ESA TWICE

Topics: Cetacean Habitat, Trump Administration, Whales, Environment, Endangered Species Act

By Mark J. Palmer

Thank you!

You helped save the Endangered Species Act (ESA), our most important wildlife law.

Republicans are in control of the agenda and votes taken on the floor of the US House of Representatives. But despite their slim majority, they can be intimidated by the most important people in the US: You voters.

HR 1897, the legislation introduced by Representative Bruce Westermann (R- AR), would have stripped and weakened the Endangered Species Act of its most important measures to prevent the extinction of whales, wolves, salmon, sea otters, polar bears, and other key species. (See our earlier blog on HR 1897.)

The bill squeaked out of the House Natural Resources Committee with support from the majority of Republican members.

Then activists received word that HR 1897 would appear on the House Floor for a vote the week after Easter, April 6-10. A scramble ensued in which many groups, including the International Marine Mammal Project of Earth Island Institute, put out alerts on our social media feeds – Please Call Your Congressmember!

Abruptly, the Republican leadership pulled HR 1897 from the agenda. Too many Republican congressmembers were hearing from their constituents.

However, Representative Westerman was not done. Again, rumors reached us that HR 1897 was coming back from the dead and would be voted on again, on Earth Day!

Frankly, it is astonishing how petty and mean-spirited the Republican leadership of Congress (and the President) can be to those who disagree with them.

Fortunately, public opposition was felt in Washington DC, and early in the morning on Earth Day, the Republicans again pulled HR 1897 from the agenda, “when support started to look shaky.” (New York Times April 22, 2026)

Florida Republican Anna Paulina Luna, according to the New York Times article, posted on her social media feed: “Don’t tread on my turtles. Protected means protected.” Several brave Republican members of Congress (along with most Democrats) opposed HR 1897.

The people of the United States are pretty united in their love of wildlife. Thank you for helping remind our Congress of that.

And congrats! The public can stop bad legislation when we are working together.