1. United States
2. Texas
3. Letter

I am writing as your constituent to demand that you vote NO on H.R. 1897, the so-called “Endangered Species Amendment Act of 2025,” should it come before the full House. This bill is not reform — it is a direct assault on the Endangered Species Act of 1973 and on the wildlife it was enacted to protect. For more than 50 years, the ESA has been one of the most successful conservation laws in the world, preventing the extinction of 99% of listed species. It is a science-driven, court-tested statute that reflects the will of the American people and the principle that extinction is not an acceptable byproduct of development. H.R. 1897 would dismantle the very safeguards that have made this law effective. This bill severely weakens the scientific consultation process that ensures federal agencies do not destroy critical habitat or take actions that jeopardize endangered species. It narrows what agencies may consider, ignores cumulative and long-term harms, and erects an unreasonably high threshold for intervention — even when species are clearly on a downward spiral. It would dramatically slow the listing of new species, leaving vulnerable wildlife unprotected for years, while fast-tracking delisting even when recovery goals have not been met. It strips meaningful review from permits authorizing harm to protected species and limits agencies’ ability to respond to new science and worsening environmental conditions. In an era of climate disruption and accelerating habitat loss, tying the hands of scientists and wildlife managers is reckless. The bill also redefines “conservation” in a way that invites expanded sport hunting of imperiled species and shifts management to states before recovery benchmarks are achieved. It replaces enforceable, science-based protections with voluntary conservation plans that have repeatedly failed to halt species decline. That is not stewardship — it is abandonment. Perhaps most alarming, H.R. 1897 undermines the integrity of the “best available science” standard by forcing agencies to accept all state and local data regardless of methodological quality. That politicizes decision-making and corrodes the scientific foundation of every action taken under the ESA. This is not modernization. It is a calculated weakening of one of our nation’s most important environmental safeguards. Future generations will judge whether we protected our natural heritage or surrendered it to short-term interests. I urge you in the strongest possible terms: Vote NO on H.R. 1897. Stand with science. Stand with the overwhelming majority of Americans who support the ESA. Stand for the principle that extinction is forever — and that Congress has a duty to prevent it.