H.R. 65 – Victory! 

The final vote was 228–200, with a strong bipartisan majority rejecting this dangerous attack on the Endangered Species Act (ESA). 

This is a huge win for wildlife. Had it passed, H.R. 65 would have:

• Exempted the entire Department of Defense and its many contractors from the ESA.
• Banned ESA protections on military lands—critical safe havens for species like the Florida panther, California condor, and red wolf.
• Eliminated accountability, allowing military activities to harm or kill endangered species without oversight.
  
  Representative Biggs of Arizona, the bill’s sponsor, attempted to add H.R. 65 as a policy rider on the National Defense Authorization Act (H.R. 3838), an important legislative package that Congress develops every year.

Instead, the House rejected this proposal and stood up for science, accountability, and wildlife protection.

In 2025 alone, tens of thousands of people have emailed and called their Representatives in support of the ESA and against attacks like H.R. 65. The Endangered Species Coalition and our partners took this message directly to Capitol Hill with a letter of opposition. This victory shows that when we engage, educate, and mobilize, we can build bipartisan backing for the ESA.

This win belongs to all of us who spoke up, contacted our Representatives, and reminded Congress that the Endangered Species Act works—saving 99% of listed species from extinction. 

We celebrate today, but the fight isn’t over. Opponents of the ESA will keep trying to chip away at it. Together, we’ll keep building power, growing bipartisan support, and ensuring that wildlife—from the mightiest condor to the rarest red wolf—has a future.