Trump’s Latest Attack on Endangered Species Act Threatens Biodiversity

A briefing by Earthjustice detailing the Trump administration's proposed rule revisions to the Endangered Species Act (ESA), which the organization argues weaken biodiversity protections to benefit corporate interests.

• The Trump administration has proposed rule revisions to the Endangered Species Act (ESA) that Earthjustice claims sacrifice the natural world for 'billionaires and corporate interests'. These changes include removing automatic protections for newly listed species, narrowing the definition of 'critical habitat' to exclude historic areas vital for recovery, easing rules for federal agencies to approve drilling and logging, and introducing 'economic considerations' into species protection decisions.
• Beyond the proposed rule revisions, the second Trump administration has proposed reversing a statute related to critical habitat and utilized a rarely used provision that allows a committee of presidential appointees to determine the fate of endangered species.
• The Endangered Species Act, passed in 1973, is described as having prevented 99% of the species it protects from extinction and safeguarding millions of acres of wetlands, beaches, and forests.
• Earthjustice has a history of litigating against the first Trump administration to maintain ESA protections, including successful legal actions to protect gray wolves across 44 states and prevent trophy hunts of Yellowstone grizzlies.

APA

Earthjustice (2025). Trump’s Latest Attack on Endangered Species Act Threatens Biodiversity. https://earthjustice.org/brief/2025/trumps-latest-attack-on-endangered-species-act-threatens-biodiversity

Chicago

Earthjustice. Trump’s Latest Attack on Endangered Species Act Threatens Biodiversity. 2025. https://earthjustice.org/brief/2025/trumps-latest-attack-on-endangered-species-act-threatens-biodiversity.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=Earthjustice |title=Trump’s Latest Attack on Endangered Species Act Threatens Biodiversity |date=20 November 2025 |url=https://earthjustice.org/brief/2025/trumps-latest-attack-on-endangered-species-act-threatens-biodiversity |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{earthjustice2025trumps, author = {{Earthjustice}}, title = {{Trump’s Latest Attack on Endangered Species Act Threatens Biodiversity}}, institution = {Earthjustice}, year = {2025}, month = nov, url = {https://earthjustice.org/brief/2025/trumps-latest-attack-on-endangered-species-act-threatens-biodiversity}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }