Representative Beyer Slams Bill to Delist Gray Wolves, Citing Project 2025 Influence

Opposition to HR845 (Trust and Science Act)

• ❌ Representative Beyer strongly opposes HR845, formerly the Trust and Science Act, which has been rebranded because its science contradicts its political motivations.
• 🎯 The bill is linked to Project 2025, with delisting the gray wolf identified as a high priority for the Department of Interior.

Flaws in the Delisting Bill

• outdated rulemaking that has not held up in court.
• ⚠️ The bill fails to recognize current wolf recovery status and state-specific differences in wolf management.
• 📉 Premature delisting could allow wolf populations to be reduced to zero in the lower 48 states, despite ongoing threats like poaching and habitat loss.

Scientific Basis for Wolf Protection

• 📈 The Endangered Species Act (ESA) protections have helped stabilize and strengthen gray wolf populations.
• 🏞️ Delisting nationally could lead to wolves being hunted and trapped towards extinction, as seen historically when Canadian wolves were introduced due to the eradication of lower 48 wolves.
• 📊 While wolf populations have made progress, numbers in areas like the northern Rocky Mountains and Yellowstone are declining, necessitating a national recovery plan.

Addressing Livestock and Pet Concerns

• 🐄 In Montana, wolves kill fewer than 60 livestock out of nearly three million annually, a loss ratio significantly lower than deaths from natural hazards.
• 💰 Ranchers are generously compensated for wolf-related losses, often exceeding market value.
• 🚗 Comparing wolf predation to the 93,000 dogs hit by cars annually highlights the disproportionate focus on wolves.

Humanity's Connection to Wolves

• 🐺 Wolves are presented as charismatic creatures and integral to human evolution and culture, appearing in stories, poems, and songs.
• 💔 Killing wolves is framed as harming our own humanity and connection to nature.
• 🙏 The speaker urges colleagues to reject the bill, questioning the contradiction of proclaiming divine wonder while hating creatures of nature.