Streamlining Procurement for Effective Execution and Delivery and National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2026

Floor Speech

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Mr. BIGGS of Arizona. Madam Chair, our brave servicemen and servicewomen stand ready to defend this Nation against any threat; but they cannot prepare for tomorrow's battles if today's training grounds are shackled by outdated and overreaching regulations.

The Endangered Species Act, once intended as a shield for vulnerable wildlife, has morphed into a weapon wielded by radical activists and unelected bureaucrats that cripple our military's readiness and drain billions from our defense budget.

Madam Chair, consider this. The War Department manages nearly 27 million acres of land, waters, and airspace, which are vital for testing cutting-edge technologies, honing combat skills, and ensuring our Forces remain the world's finest.

Yet as many as 550 threatened or endangered species call these areas home, which triggers endless ESA restrictions that hamstring essential training and operations.

At Fort Huachuca in Arizona, for example, the Sonoran tiger salamanders' designated critical wetland habitat requires strict protection measures. That means environmental reviews and limits on land use, construction, and water management. All those delay vital infrastructure projects and constrain training exercises during breeding seasons.

On top of that, Fort Huachuca must carry out ongoing monitoring, predator control, and habitat management, all under ESA guidelines, which impose onerous constraints on our ability to train and be ready for our warriors. The same could be said about the Barry M. Goldwater Range, also in Arizona.

It is not just Arizona. This happens to Guam, as well, for instance. Guam's military installations face extreme challenges related to ESA from the invasive brown tree snake, which has devastated native wildlife and forced costly and elaborate mitigation programs.

On Guam, the military must deploy snake-proof fencing, trap-and-bait programs, and train detection dogs to prevent brown tree snake incursions on military equipment and cargo, significantly complicating logistics, readiness, and training activities.

This forces the Department of War to divert funds to wildlife management, while mission-critical activities grind to a halt.

Activist groups exploit the ESA through relentless litigation and red tape, imposing critical habitat designations that do precious little to recover species but everything to block land use and weaken our defenses. They are a direct assault on our national security.

After more than 50 years since its enactment in 1973, the ESA's track record is abysmal. Fewer than 2 percent of listed species have been delisted. That isn't a success story. That is proof of a flawed perpetual regulatory machine that prioritizes special interest agendas over sound science and our soldiers' needs.

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Mr. BIGGS of Arizona. Madam Chair, let me reiterate: Activist groups exploit the ESA through relentless litigation and red tape, curtailing and preventing full training and preparation by our military.

This amendment is nonnegotiable. It draws a clear line: Military and National Guard lands cannot be arbitrarily designated as critical habitat if the Department of War deems them essential for national defense.

I want to take the same argument that was used on the last bill when Mr. Cisneros of California said, good grief, our adversaries don't care about this question of censorship. I am telling you, Madam Chair, our adversaries don't care about this question of the environment and the ESA.

It exempts our personnel from ESA prohibitions during defense-related operations. That is what is happening, even if incidental harm occurs, because in the heat of preparation for real-world threats, we cannot afford to pause for paperwork.

The ESA was not meant to become a tool for endless lawsuits, environmental extremism, or regulatory overreach that jeopardizes our ability to deter adversaries.

Madam Chair, now is the moment for bold action and clarity. National defense must eclipse this misguided focus on the ESA. The ESA has only delisted 2 percent of the hundreds and thousands of species that it has listed.

We cannot handcuff America's military. Our enemies are not waiting for environmental impact studies. They are advancing relentlessly.

If we vote against this, we are choosing endangered species over war preparedness and defending this country. This is essential, and it is a lifeline for security.

Madam Chair, I urge my colleagues to stand up for our troops and pass the measure today, and I yield back the balance of my time.

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