Trump administration signals steps to remove grizzly bear Endangered Species Act protections

Department of Interior announces policy changes are underway, despite fewer than 2,000 remaining in isolated populations across the Lower 48 states

WASHINGTON (July 14, 2026)—Trump administration leaders and some Western state governors appeared to announce a new policy shift aimed at removing Endangered Species Act protections for grizzly bears, another action in the war on wildlife that could jeopardize the recovery of the approximately 2,000 bears remaining in tiny, isolated populations across the Lower 48 states. 

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.

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.  

STATEMENT: Canceled congressional vote on ESA Amendments Act is a ‘clarion call’

Earth Day reversal signals growing resistance to legislation that would undermine federal wildlife protections

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.

Subscribe to Wildlife