Announcement By the Acting Chair

Floor Speech

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Mr. BEYER. Mr. Chairman, as co-chair of the Endangered Species Caucus, I rise today in strong opposition to amendment No. 55 of the National Defense Authorization Act offered by Mr. Biggs of Arizona.

We are facing a biodiversity crisis in America and around the world. We should be discussing how better to protect our Nation's wildlife instead of these unconscionable, extreme, MAGA Republican attack on efforts to protect our endangered species.

As my friend Mr. Huffman said, this is one of the most successful bills in American history, and this is an absolutely baseless attack on the Endangered Species Act that the Department of Defense has not asked for. No colonels, no generals, no admirals, no captains have said that they have trouble fulfilling their mission because of the Endangered Species Act.

The Department of Defense already has a strong natural resources program. They work very closely with the Fish and Wildlife Service, and they have been part of delisting many of the species earlier listed, including, most importantly, the American bald eagle.

In the midst of a biodiversity crisis, we need an ESA that remains strong. We need all Federal agencies, especially the Department of Defense, to continue to collaborate with each other to protect our endangered wildlife.

Actions to protect these species do not hinder our national security. Managing endangered species in balance with their mission is something that the Department of Defense already does very well.

By the way, the Goldwater Range is actually managed not by the Endangered Species Act but by the Department of Defense's own resource management plan.

Mr. Chairman, I urge my colleagues to reject this unwanted, unnecessary, and destructive amendment.

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