By Sara Amundson and Kitty Block
“Harm” is not just a word. When it comes to the Trump administration’s wildlife policies, it’s the defining word.
For more than half a century, the Endangered Species Act has helped save wildlife in large part because it protects the habitats animals need to survive. Last week, the Trump administration issued a rule changing a regulatory interpretation of the word “harm” in the Endangered Species Act that has been essential to its function.
With the advancement of the House Appropriations Committee’s FY 2027 Interior-Environment Appropriations bill on a 35-27 vote, we’ve reached a new stage in the war on wildlife.
By Sara Amundson and Kitty Block
By Sara Amundson and Kitty Block
In a recent memorandum of understanding, the Trump administration set the stage for the federal government’s renewed use of the M-44 cyanide bomb on lands managed by the Bureau of Land Management. This action, carried out discreetly and quietly, was outrageous to those of us who know what this diabolical device does to animals.
Update June 4, 2026: The U.S. House of Representatives passed its FY 2027 federal funding bill for the USDA and the FDA with a vote of 213 - 210. The Senate Appropriations Committee has not yet released its version of this bill. One positive note from today’s floor debate: the House approved two amendments led by Rep. Nicole Malliotakis (R-N.Y.)—to prevent FDA from issuing guidelines calling for dog testing and to prevent USDA from conducting or funding painful research on dogs or cats.
WASHINGTON (April 22, 2026)—Humane World Action Fund, formerly called Humane Society Legislative Fund, shared a significant update regarding the ESA Amendments Act. Republican leadership has officially pulled the bill from the House floor and postponed today's scheduled vote after it became clear there was sufficient opposition to prevent its passage.
Sara Amundson, president, Humane World for Animals Action Fund, said:
By Sara Amundson and Kitty Block
The Endangered Species Act, a landmark law for the protection of wildlife, is under attack. In late March, the Trump administration convened the federal Endangered Species Committee for only the fourth time in its nearly 50-year history. Under the law, the Committee has the extraordinary power to grant case-by-case exemptions to the protections of the Endangered Species Act— in essence, the authority to decide that a project should be allowed to proceed despite jeopardizing the very existence of an endangered species.
By Sara Amundson and Kitty Block
