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Committee reports HR 42 55 to House after heated debate over Mexican gray wolf delisting
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Summary
After hours of debate and two recorded votes, the House Natural Resources Committee adopted a substitute and voted 23–13 to report HR 42 55 — a bill that would delist the Mexican gray wolf — sparking sharp divisions over science, livestock losses and federal oversight.
The House Natural Resources Committee voted to report HR 42 55, the Enhancing Safety for Animals Act of 2025, to the House as amended after adopting a sponsor substitute. The committee recorded a final vote of 23 in favor and 13 opposed. (Clerk reported the tally.)
Supporters, led by Rep. Paul Gosar, argued the Mexican gray wolf has recovered enough to return management to state and local authorities and to better address livestock losses. “The wolf has been recovered. It is time for Washington to do its part and admit that reality,” Gosar said, urging colleagues to back the bill.
Opponents, led by Ranking Member Jared Huffman and Rep. Raúl Grijalva, said delisting is premature and would remove federal safeguards crucial to a still‑vulnerable population. Huffman noted the species’ narrow genetic base and recovery thresholds, saying the Fish and Wildlife Service’s recovery plan calls for an eight‑year average of 320 wolves in the United States and 200 in Mexico before delisting is appropriate. “We should be celebrating progress and finishing the job, not pulling the rug out from under a recovery program that is finally starting to work,” Huffman said.
Rep. Grijalva offered an amendment (Grijalva No. 1) to replace the bill’s text with a directive for the Departments of the Interior, Agriculture and State to assess and improve livestock compensation programs and report back to Congress. Supporters of Grijalva’s amendment argued that improving compensation and conflict‑reduction programs would address ranchers’ losses without removing federal protections. The amendment was defeated in a recorded vote (ayes 11, noes 19).
The committee then adopted the sponsor’s amendment in the nature of a substitute by voice vote and proceeded to report the bill as amended. The clerk reported the committee’s recorded vote on reporting HR 42 55 as amended as 23 ayes and 13 nays; the bill was ordered reported favorably to the House.
Members on both sides acknowledged livestock depredation is a real and pressing concern for ranchers in parts of Arizona and New Mexico, but they sharply disagreed on whether statutory delisting is the appropriate remedy. Gosar said federal management had become unresponsive and bureaucratic; opponents countered that delisting would eliminate federal coordination and monitoring and could destabilize recovery.
The committee also accepted a notice from Rep. Hoffman of intent to file supplemental or minority views on the measure. No further action was taken at the markup; the bill will move to the House floor agenda following committee procedures.
What happens next: The committee’s report sends HR 42 55, as amended, to the House for further consideration. Members differ sharply on whether the change will aid ranchers or imperil long‑term recovery; several members signaled additional oversight and legislative activity to follow.
