Rep. Debbie Dingell (MI-06) Rep. Don Beyer (VA-08)

The ESA Caucus is a coalition of members committed to preserving the mission of the Endangered Species Act and related federal efforts that safeguard threatened and endangered species.

We are in the midst of an unprecedented biodiversity crisis. In a landmark 2019 report, scientists warned that one million species are at risk of extinction, more now than in any other period in human history. Subsequent studies confirm that the crisis only continues to worsen; a recent NatureServe study found 34% of plants and 40% of animals are at risk of extinction, and 41% of ecosystems are at risk of collapse. We’ve seen our nation’s beautiful monarch butterfly population plummet, and we’ve lost nearly 3 billion birds since 1970.

Pollution, anthropogenic climate change and activities like poaching now threaten our common heritage and ecological integrity that are fundamental to our economy, health, and quality of life. United Nations experts have declared that since biodiversity is the foundation of life on our planet, its protection is a human rights issue.

In enacting the Endangered Species Act of 1973, Congress recognized that imperiled species of wildlife, fish, and plants “are of esthetic, ecological, educational, historical, recreational, and scientific value to the Nation and its people.” When properly funded and deployed, the law provides a suite of mechanisms to successfully conserve endangered species and the habitats upon which they depend. As we work to respond to the sustainability challenges that are causing the current biodiversity crisis, the Endangered Species Act’s robust and proven mechanisms for conservation will be vital in safeguarding our nation’s environmental heritage for future generations.

The Caucus seeks to uphold the Endangered Species Act and to raise awareness and improve ways to support our nation’s conservation efforts for threatened and endangered species given the unprecedented pressures that they face at home and abroad.

ESA Caucus membership in the 119^th Congress:

Rep. Debbie Dingell (MI-06)

Rep. Don Beyer (VA-08)
Rep. Jared Huffman (CA-02)

Rep. Julia Brownley (CA-26)

Rep.Jimmy Panetta (CA-19)

Rep. Steve Cohen (TN-09)

Rep. Mike Thompson (CA-04)

Rep. Ed Case (HI-01)

Rep. Henry C. “Hank” Johnson, Jr. (GA-04)

Rep. Ted Lieu (CA-33)

Rep. Eleanor Holmes Norton (DC)

Rep. John Larson (CT-01)

Rep. Mike Quigley (IL-05)

Rep. Chris Pappas (NH-01)