Republicans like Doug Burgum and Lauren Boebert are citing Colossal's fake "de-extinction" of the dire wolf to argue that the Endangered Species Act is obsolete because species can simply be revived later. Trump's recent executive order takes aim at:
>the Endangered Species Act>the Marine Mammal Protection Act >the Migratory Bird Treaty Act>the Bald and Golden Eagle Protection Actand more
So that his fossil fuel/logging/techbro/real estate buddies and donors can mow down nature and wildlife without any pesky regulations getting in their way.
https://www.whitehouse.gov/presidential-actions/2025/04/zero-based-regulatory-budgeting-to-unleash-american-energy/This executive order directs federal agencies to incorporate a sunset provision into their regulations, which means that the Trump sycophants currently staffing those agencies can simply let the regulations expire and prevent laws like the ESA from being enforced. This is the real reason he fired so many federal workers at the NOAA, EPA, Fish and Wildlife Service, and other agencies under the guise of fighting "wokeness" and "waste and fraud."
Ninety-nine percent of species listed under the Act have survived and many have been set on a path to recovery, including the American Bald Eagle, the Grizzly Bear, the Florida Manatee, and many more.