Let's talk about Endangered Species beating the GOP.... - Belle of the Ranch

Well, howdy there Internet people. It's Belle again. So, today we're going to talk about endangered species beating the GOP.

The Endangered Species Act is one of America's most important conservation laws. It really serves as a cornerstone for protection of not just animals, but habitats and by extension the environment, and by further extension, humanity. It's an important piece of legislation. Unsurprisingly, the usual suspects in the Republican party wanted to gut it recently. That led to this question.

Belle, hoping to get a bit of clarity on a news story that disappeared since we're for some reason doing references to '90s crime movies on your channel. There was a bill that was going to destroy the Endangered Species Act and it was all over the news feed for weeks and then it just pulled a Keyser Söze and like that it was gone. Is it gone? Did it stall? Did it die? If any of those are yes, why? And why are Democrats suddenly racking up wins?

Okay, so HR1897 or the ESA amendments act was moving forward and it would have gutted the Endangered Species Act. It would have been massive changes. The bill is 68 pages long, but at its core, the big change is that it would have put economic considerations at the forefront of determining whether or not an animal or plant gets protections.

Then suddenly last week, the bill was pulled. And Representative Jared Huffman of California gave this reason. "Republican leadership is badly out of step with the American people. They heard loud and clear this week that Americans will reject any legislation that leads to their wildlife disappearing forever. That is who we are as a country. We protect what we love and we pass it on. Americans in all 50 states picked up the phone and reminded Washington of that promise. People of every political stripe called and urged their members of Congress to oppose this bill and stand up for the wildlife in their communities. The sea turtles that nest on their beaches, the birds and butterflies in their backyards, the species their kids and grandkids deserve to grow up seeing.”

That's cool. And there was a swell of opposition to the bill. But there's something else at play.

A number of Republican representatives came out against it. Republicans in areas that are seeing shifts in voting patterns and that have a lot of nature or in some cases just have an iconic animal that needs to be protected, expressed disapproval. And the bill was unceremoniously yanked by Speaker Mike Johnson without any real explanation.

The standard line was that the House is busy. Yeah, sure. With what? The real answer is that with even just a handful of Republicans saying no, it would be defeated and there were a lot more than a handful.

So, this is a win and the Democratic party stuck together to oppose it. So, they can claim credit for that. But it's a won battle, not a war. Gutting environmental protections is important to the Republican party's big donors. This has been a Republican priority for a long time. So, I would say it's delayed, not defeated, and that we'll see it again. It's probably not a great idea to see this as a complete victory because it'll be back and people won't be ready for it if they believe it was truly defeated. Remember, Agent Kujan, the greatest trick the devil ever pulled was convincing the world he didn't exist.

Anyway, it's just a thought. Y'all have a good day.