Rep. Tiffany's Bipartisan Bill to Delist the Gray Wolf Passes the House

WASHINGTON, DC – Today, Congressman Tom Tiffany (WI-07) and Congresswoman Lauren Boebert’s (CO-03) bipartisan legislation to delist the gray wolf from the Endangered Species Act (ESA) passed the U.S. House by a vote of 209-205. H.R. 764, the Trust the Science Act, would remove the gray wolf from the list of federal endangered species, ensure that action is not subject to judicial review, and restore authority back to state lawmakers and state wildlife officials to control the gray wolf population. 

“The science is clear; the gray wolf has met and exceeded recovery goals. Today's House passage represents an important first step towards restoring local control over the skyrocketing gray wolf population in Wisconsin. I will continue to fight to get this legislation through the U.S. Senate to protect livestock and pets from brutal wolf attacks," said Congressman Tiffany.

Background: 
There have been numerous gray wolf attacks in Wisconsin’s Seventh District over the last few years. You can view some examples here, here, and here (warning of graphic content). The Trust the Science Act requires the Secretary of Interior to reissue the 2020 Department of the Interior final rule that delisted gray wolves in the lower 48 United States and ensures that the reissuance of the final rule will not be subject to judicial review by activist judges like the California judge who vacated the rule in 2020 and unilaterally relisted the gray wolf by judicial fiat. 

In 2020, the Department of the Interior and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service delisted the gray wolf in the lower 48 United States through a process that included the best science and data available. At over 6,000 wolves at the time of delisting, the gray wolf has been the latest Endangered Species Act success story with significant population recoveries in the Rocky Mountains and western Great Lakes regions. However, despite ample scientific evidence of the gray wolf’s recovery, a California judge unilaterally relisted the gray wolf under the ESA in 2022. 

 
24 Members of Congress cosponsored Rep. Tiffany and Rep. Boebert’s Trust the Science Act, including the entire Wisconsin Republican Congressional Delegation.
 
Groups that have supported the Trust the Science Act in the 117th Congress or the 118th Congress include: Alaska Farm Bureau Federation, BigGame Forever, Colorado Cattlemen's Association, Colorado Farm Bureau, Colorado Livestock Association, Colorado Wool Growers Association, House Committee on Natural Resources Republicans, Hunter Nation, Idaho Farm Bureau Federation, IOTR-International Order of T. Roosevelt, Mid States Wool Growers Association, Minnesota Farm Bureau, Minnesota Lamb & Wool Producers Association, Minnesota State Cattlemen’s Association, National Rifle Association (NRA), New Mexico Wool Growers Inc., Oregon Cattlemen’s Association, Safari Club International (SCI), Sportsmen for Fish and Wildlife, Washington Farm Bureau, Washington State Hunter Heritage Council, Western Caucus, Wisconsin Cattleman’s Association, and Wisconsin Farm Bureau Federation. 

You can read more about the Trust the Science Act here and view Rep. Tiffany's floor remarks here. 

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