Nutria Eradication and Control Reauthorization Act of 2025
Floor Speech
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Mr. WESTERMAN. Madam Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 776) to reauthorize the Nutria Eradication and Control Act of 2003.
The Clerk read the title of the bill.
The text of the bill is as follows: H.R. 776
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.
This Act may be cited as the ``Nutria Eradication and Control Reauthorization Act of 2025''. SEC. 2. REAUTHORIZATION OF NUTRIA ERADICATION AND CONTROL ACT OF 2003.
(a) In General.--Section 3(e) of the Nutria Eradication and Control Act of 2003 (16 U.S.C. 8102(e)) is amended by striking ``2025'' and inserting ``2030''.
(b) Technical Correction.--Section 3(a) of the Nutria Eradication and Control Act of 2003 (16 U.S.C. 8102(a)) is amended by striking `` `Secretary'),'' and inserting `` `Secretary')''.
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Mr. WESTERMAN. 776, the bill now under consideration.
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Mr. WESTERMAN. Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
Madam Speaker, I rise in support of Representative Harder's legislation, which would reauthorize the nutria eradication program at existing funding levels through 2030.
This bill is identical to the one passed in the House during the last week of the 118th Congress. Unfortunately, it failed to receive a vote in the Senate. I am glad to have the opportunity to speak again in support of this important legislation.
Nutria are invasive rodents native to South America that were imported to the United States in 1899 for fur production. Since then, the nutria population has exploded in places like northern California, Oregon, and the Louisiana bayous, as well as the Chesapeake Bay and Eastern Shore ecosystems.
These rodents eat, dig, and trample healthy wetland habitats, causing significant erosion and habitat damage to native ecosystems.
When this legislation was first enacted in 2003, an estimated 70 percent of the Chesapeake Bay's marshlands had already been destroyed by nutria. Due to the aid of this program, nutria eradication efforts have been very successful.
For example, in Maryland, they have been declared eradicated. In Louisiana, where more than 432,000 acres were damaged or destroyed by nutria from 2002 to 2021, over 5 million nutria have been taken. Passing the legislation would allow these successful efforts to continue.
I thank Representative Valadao for co-leading this legislation, which will benefit California's Central Valley in its work to eradicate nutria.
Madam Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support H.R. 776, and I reserve the balance of my time.
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Mr. WESTERMAN. Madam Speaker, I commend Representative Harder for his bipartisan work and his hard work to bring this important bill to the floor.
Madam Speaker, I have no further requests for time.
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Mr. WESTERMAN. Madam Speaker, H.R. 776 would reauthorize a program that has proven very effective in protecting our country's vital wetlands and marshes from destructive invasive species. While great work has been accomplished in controlling these invasive pests, or swamp rats, as my colleague called them, continuing the nutria eradication program is crucial to ensuring our native species of plants and animals can recover.
Madam Speaker, I note that if gators and Cajuns can't eradicate these things from south Louisiana, we know our friends in the Central Valley need help, as well. I thank my colleagues for their diligent work on this bill, and I urge all Members to support this commonsense, bipartisan legislation.
Madam Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.
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Mr. WESTERMAN. Madam Speaker, on that I demand the yeas and nays.
The yeas and nays were ordered.
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