Report Exposes How Congress and Industry Allies Are Jeopardizing America’s Most Beloved Wildlife

WASHINGTON, D.C. — November 17, 2025 — The Endangered Species Coalition today released “In the Political Crosshairs 2025: Species Jeopardized by Politicians in Congress,” a sweeping new report revealing how proposed congressional rollbacks to the Endangered Species Act (ESA) threaten ten iconic species across the United States. The report, which details the impacts on the manatee, monarch butterfly, gray wolf, grizzly bear, and six other species, comes ahead of consideration of the “ESA Amendments Act of 2025,” led by Representative Westerman (R-AR), in the House Natural Resources Committee.

For more than 50 years, the ESA has prevented 99% of listed species from going extinct, uniting Americans across the political spectrum in support of wildlife conservation. Yet today, the law faces one of its gravest assaults in history.

“The Endangered Species Act is one of the most successful, science-based conservation laws ever passed,” said Susan Holmes, Executive Director of the Endangered Species Coalition. “But some members of Congress are trying to dismantle it piece by piece to serve polluting industries and political donors — and the cost will be measured in extinctions.”

The report warns that the proposed “ESA Amendments Act of 2025” — currently moving through Congress — would strip scientific oversight, weaken habitat protections, and grant industry unchecked power over environmental reviews. Separate legislative measures aim to permanently delist species such as the gray wolf and block habitat protections for others.

The report profiles ten at-risk species — each illustrating how political interference threatens to undo decades of recovery progress: West Indian Manatee, Piping Plover, Eastern Hellbender, Rusty Patched Bumble Bee, Gray Wolf, Leatherback & Loggerhead Sea Turtles, Western Yellow-Billed Cuckoo, Monarch Butterfly, Southern Sea Otter, and the Grizzly Bear.

“These attacks don’t just target wildlife — they target the very foundation of science-based conservation,” said Holmes. “If these laws are gutted, we’ll lose not only species, but the ecosystems and economies that depend on them.”

Polls show that 84% of Americans support the Endangered Species Act, 80% support full funding, and 70% believe scientists — not politicians — should determine which species need protection. Despite this, congressional attacks on the ESA are second only to those on the Affordable Care Act in frequency and intensity.

“In the Political Crosshairs 2025” updates earlier Coalition reports — No Room to Roam: 10 American Species in Need of Connectivity and Corridors (2015), Extinction Plan: Ten Species Imperiled by the Trump Administration (2018), Last Chance: Ten U.S. Species Already Imperiled by Climate Change (2021), and Ten Stories of Hope: The Endangered Species Act at 50 (2023) — continuing the story of America’s ongoing struggle to safeguard its natural heritage.

The full report, including species profiles and legislative analysis, is available at https://www.endangered.org/top-ten-report-political-crosshairs