WASHINGTON, D.C., September 10, 2026 — Seven former heads of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and NOAA Fisheries, appointed by presidents of both parties, are calling on the Trump administration to reverse its reinterpretation of the Endangered Species Act (ESA), which would narrow the law’s ability to prevent habitat destruction for protected wildlife. 

In a letter to Interior Secretary Doug Burgum and Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick, the officials, who administered the ESA across five presidencies, warn that excluding habitat destruction from the definition of “harm” will drive some of America’s most iconic species toward extinction.

“Together, we have spent decades administering the Endangered Species Act under presidents from both parties. While we have differing opinions on many aspects of implementation, we all agree that the recent reinterpretation of the term “harm” will upend the law and lead to extinction for some of our most iconic wildlife.”

When Congress passed the ESA in 1973, it prohibited the harassment, hunting, and harming of endangered wildlife. The law’s definition of “harm” protected species from the destruction of the habitat that they depend on. In July, the Trump administration announced a rule change to explicitly remove habitat from the definition, narrowing the law’s ability to protect wildlife from destructive development.

“The administration is arguing that you can protect endangered animals without protecting the places they need to survive,” the officials wrote. “Fifty years of science—and common sense—say otherwise.” 

The administration is already facing strong opposition and legal challenges to their attempts to circumvent the Endangered Species Act. In a court case that challenges the administration’s use of a national security exemption to evade ESA protections, a bipartisan group of national security leaders, including former Secretaries of Defense, raised concerns with the approach to sidestep the established process, which effectively balances national security needs with environmental safeguards.

The full letter is available here.

Signatories include:

Daniel Ashe, Former Director of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service under the Obama Administration. 

Jamie Rappaport Clark, Former Director of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service under the Clinton Administration. 

Janet Coit, Former Assistant Administrator for National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Fisheries under the Biden Administration.

Dale Hall, Former Director of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service under the Bush Administration.

Eileen Sobeck, Former Assistant Administrator for National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Fisheries under the Obama Administration.

Martha Williams, Former Director of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service under the Biden Administration.

Steven Williams, Former Director of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service under the Bush Administration.