Trump order pushes to strip gray wolf
President Trump has signed an executive order directing the Interior Department to review removing gray wolves from the Endangered Species Act and to
President Donald Trump signed an executive order on Friday directing the Interior Department to consider removing gray wolves from the Endangered Species Act. The order also tells federal officials to contemplate making it easier to authorize killing the animals.
Interior Secretary Doug Burgum now has three months to determine if gray wolves and the rarer Mexican gray wolf subspecies have recovered enough for de-listing. This directive comes even as a prior federal attempt to de-list gray wolves remains tied up in court litigation. A 2022 court order currently maintains federal protections for wolves across most of the lower 48 states.
Current Wolf Protections
Federal protection status for wolves varies significantly by region. The major exception to nationwide protection is in the northern Rocky Mountain states of Montana, Idaho, and Wyoming, where state governments manage wolf populations. In Minnesota, wolves hold a "threatened" status rather than the stricter "endangered" classification.
The US Fish and Wildlife Service has not previously attempted to de-list the Mexican gray wolf. This rare subspecies was reintroduced to New Mexico and Arizona in 1998. Its official recovery plan mandates a specific population threshold before de-listing can be considered.
The Mexican Wolf Threshold
The existing recovery plan for Mexican gray wolves requires a population average exceeding 320 animals for four consecutive years. Federal authorities can only start the de-listing review process after this benchmark is met. Arizona and New Mexico officials counted a total of 319 Mexican gray wolves at the end of 2025. This number triggers the first year of the official count toward potentially meeting the recovery goal.
Conservationists argue the population figure alone is misleading. Michael Robinson, an advocate with the Center for Biological Diversity, points to dire threats from a lack of genetic diversity within the Mexican wolf population. He warned that any premature move to de-list would likely face legal challenges from environmental groups.
"We're going to be fighting every step of the way, with information, with science," Robinson said. "That should be the core of the decision-making process."
Political Pressure and Criticism
Beyond reviewing federal status, Trump's order directs federal authorities to urge states to strip away their own wolf protections and loosen local killing restrictions. The order was part of a broader series of measures framed as protecting ranchers and American beef production.
The move drew immediate and sharp criticism from environmental organizations. Leia Barnett, the New Mexico conservation lead for WildEarth Guardians, condemned the action.
"Once again, we see this administration attempting to override the checks and balances provided by bedrock environmental laws like the Endangered Species Act," Barnett said. She argued that directing agencies to pressure states represents an attempt to bypass the congressional framework designed to insulate species recovery from political influence.
Historical Context and the Signing Event
The federal government systematically trapped and killed wolves from the late 19th through the early 20th century, largely to protect livestock. This campaign pushed the species to the brink of extinction in the contiguous United States. Many ranchers still view wolves as a significant nuisance threatening their livelihoods.
During the order's signing ceremony, Trump's comments focused on lethal control. He appeared to suggest the order would immediately help shooting wolves, despite most remaining federally protected.
"You can shoot them as of today?" Trump asked, referring to Mexican gray wolves while speaking with an Arizona rancher. The comment drew laughter. US Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins responded that Interior Secretary Burgum "has to do a little magic, but yes".
Gray wolves are protected under the Endangered Species Act across most of their range. Killing one remains a federal crime in most circumstances, regardless of the new executive order. Later in the ceremony, a rancher from Washington state described struggles with wolves, including an incident where a pack allegedly caused a young girl to climb a tree for safety.
"You're allowed to go and take care of it," Trump told the rancher.
"If you say so, sir," the rancher replied. Trump concluded, "We have no choice. I've been hearing about it for a long time."
