On the recordMay 18, 2023
I rise today as chair of the Environment and Public Works Subcommittee on Fisheries, Water, and Wildlife to express my strong disapproval of Republican efforts to undermine the integrity and authority of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. Now, around the world, scientists tell us that 1 million species face extinction, including 40 percent of animals in the United States. This is nothing short of a biodiversity crisis, one that will have dire impacts on the ecosystems around us and the clean air and clean water that we need to survive. Yet, last week, for the second and the third time in just 2 weeks, Republicans passed a Congressional Review Act resolution to constrain the Fish and Wildlife Service and their ability to protect our planet. Three times now we have had to stop all other business of the Senate and devote valuable floor time that we could have used to pass legislation to confirm or promote military leaders and otherwise do the people's business. Instead, we had to stop to debate the merits of protecting threatened and endangered species from extinction. That is not a joke--for the folks watching at home--and this is not an exaggeration either. Let's review. It was a half a century ago that Congress acknowledged the reality of habitat destruction and the threats to America's unique biodiversity. And, yes, Congress gave the Fish and Wildlife Service the power to administer a process for designating and protecting newly endangered species.…
