WASHINGTON, D.C. — April 20, 2026 — The Endangered Species Coalition has learned that the House of Representatives, led by Speaker Johnson (R-LA), plans to schedule a vote on Rep. Bruce Westerman’s (R-AR)  ESA Amendments Act (H.R. 1897) this Earth Day, Wednesday, April 22nd. The most dangerous attack on the Endangered Species Act in its over 50-year history could move forward on a day that historically has symbolized the birth of the modern environmental movement.

If Rep. Westerman and House Speaker Mike Johnson get their way, Earth Day could become Extinction Day.

The Coalition warned that Westerman’s ESA rollbacks would gut the Endangered Species Act, sideline science, weaken habitat protections, and put threatened and endangered wildlife across the country at far greater risk of extinction.

For more than 50 years, the Endangered Species Act has been America’s most effective law for preventing extinction and protecting wildlife and the habitats they need to survive. The law has stopped the extinction of 99% of listed species and remains one of the nation’s most popular environmental laws.

Westerman’s ESA rollback bill would shatter that legacy.

The bill would strip away core safeguards that have helped species survive and recover, tilt decision-making away from scientists and toward politicians and industry interests, and make it harder for communities to hold federal agencies accountable when endangered wildlife is placed in harm’s way.

“At a time when wildlife is already under immense pressure from habitat destruction, climate change, pollution, and industrial development, Congress should be strengthening the Endangered Species Act, not tearing it apart,” said Jewel Tomasula, Policy Director of the Endangered Species Coalition. “If Representative Bruce Westerman and Speaker Johnson have their way, Earth Day will become Extinction Day. The urgency is real. This bill is catastrophic for threatened and endangered species,” said Tomasula.

“Westerman’s ESA Amendments Act is a devastating attack on one of America’s most successful conservation laws,” Tomasula added. “If this bill becomes law, the consequences will be measured in lost protections, damaged ecosystems, and the irreversible extinction of species that can never be brought back.”

The Endangered Species Coalition said the legislation would have immediate and devastating real-world consequences for species already struggling to survive, including pollinators, shorebirds, wolves, bears, manatees, salamanders, and marine wildlife. By weakening critical habitat protections, undermining science-based standards, and turning wildlife review processes into little more than a rubber stamp for development, the bill would make recovery harder and extinction more likely.

“The Endangered Species Act works because it is rooted in science and because it recognizes a simple truth: once a species is gone, it is gone forever,” said Susan Holmes, Executive Director for the Endangered Species Coalition. “We should not allow politicians to dismantle protections that have saved bald eagles, gray whales, peregrine falcons, and so many other species from disappearing forever.”

The Coalition emphasized that decisions about endangered wildlife must remain grounded in science, not political pressure or industry demands.

“The American people overwhelmingly support the Endangered Species Act,” Holmes added. “They understand that protecting wildlife is not a partisan issue. It is about responsibility, stewardship, and ensuring that future generations inherit a world still rich with wild species and wild places.”

The Endangered Species Coalition is calling on members of Congress to reject H.R. 1897 and defend the law that protects America’s most vulnerable wildlife before this dangerous legislation does lasting harm. “There is still time to stop this bill from moving forward. The fate of endangered species will be decided by only a handful of votes,” Tomasula added.