Defender,We want to let you know that your chance to speak up in defense of America’s imperiled wildlife is almost gone! Next Monday, the Senate is poised to begin the voting process for one of the worst attacks we’ve seen on threatened and endangered wildlife, the Bipartisan American Affordability and Jobs Act of 2026, or BAAJA. If passed, this bill would make vast and dangerous changes to the Endangered Species Act, our country’s strongest tool for preventing extinction. There is clear evidence that the ESA is not the obstacle to development that opponents claim it is. BAAJA would weaken fundamental wildlife protections without addressing the problems that actually slow development. There is a better way forward! We can improve agency coordination, invest in modernized technology to process permits, and give federal agencies the resources they need to make timely decisions without sacrificing wildlife. Send a message today telling your senators to vote NO on BAAJA! BAAJA could cut the expert scientists at the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service out of reviewing and reducing the impacts of federal projects – like data centers on public lands - on endangered animals. This change could have a clear and damaging impact: State agencies, many of which are already underfunded, would shoulder the burden of identifying if federal projects could harm endangered species, and they’d have to decide whether and how to protect any animals at risk. Your senators need to hear from you now: Click here to send an urgent message telling them to protect endangered wildlife by voting NO on legislation that would make dangerous changes to the ESA! The ESA currently requires federal agencies to consult with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to ensure federal actions don’t jeopardize an endangered species. The new permitting legislation would hand over that authority to state agencies. Instead of one national process, we could have a slower, patchwork system of 50 states charged with protecting endangered wildlife without the resources or specialized knowledge they need to make informed decisions. Now is the time to speak up to keep wildlife safe. Take a moment right now to send a message to your senators urging them to vote NO on BAAJA. We can build more infrastructure without sacrificing America’s wildlife! | 
