Submit a comment: Trump administration save the Endangered Species Act

Extinction is forever. If we lose the polar bear... the manatee... the orca whale... the sage grouse... the bearded seal... we will never get them back.

Yet the Trump administration just announced alarming plans to dramatically weaken the Endangered Species Act — a landmark law with an astonishing 99% success rate that has been a literal lifesaver for hundreds of species on the brink of extinction.

Trump's plan is a devastating blow for threatened wildlife. They don't have a voice to fight back — but we do. Right now, the Interior and Commerce Departments are accepting comments from the public on this disastrous plan.

We need your help to mobilize a massive public outcry that will let President Trump, Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross, and Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke know we're watching them — and we will not stop fighting to protect threatened and endangered species.

TAKE ACTION: Submit an official comment calling on the Trump administration to reverse course and save the Endangered Species Act.

Make no mistake: This is the biggest attack on the Endangered Species Act in decades. The very agencies that are charged with saving imperiled species are trying to gut the law's bedrock protections. The proposed rollbacks would:

• Make it more difficult to extend protections to threatened species, delaying lifesaving action until a species' population is so small it may be challenging or impossible to save
• Exempt climate change from key parts of the law, making it more difficult to protect the polar bear, the bearded seal, and many other imperiled species that are impacted by the effects of climate change
• Require economic factors to be analyzed when deciding if a species should be saved
• Make it easier for companies to build roads, pipelines, mines, and other industrial projects in critical habitat areas that are essential to imperiled species' survival

The Trump administration is giving its friends in the drilling, mining, and logging industries the green light to destroy fragile wildlife habitats and drive our most threatened species to the brink of extinction, just to bolster corporate polluter profits.

Tell them you won't stand for it. Submit a comment calling on Secretary Zinke, Secretary Ross, and President Trump to halt their attacks on the Endangered Species Act.

The bald eagle, the humpback whale, and the grizzly bear are just a few of the hundreds of iconic species saved by the ESA. It's no wonder that an overwhelming majority of Americans support the law and want their elected officials to protect it.

At NRDC, we've led the fight to add imperiled animals and plants to the Endangered Species List, and we've successfully defended vulnerable wildlife like humpback whales and rusty patched bumble bees in court.

Now, we're fighting tirelessly to protect the Endangered Species Act itself from the Trump administration's attacks. And if necessary, we'll take Trump and his allies to court to save the ESA.

Please join our fight today by calling on the Trump administration to save the ESA — and the countless species whose lives depend on it — while we still can.

- Rhea Suh, President, NRDC

Tell Secretary of Commerce Wilbur Ross: "Stop Donald Trump from using the census to attack immigrants and suppress the vote."

Defend the Census click to enlarge

Tell Secretary of Commerce Wilbur Ross: "Stop Donald Trump from using the census to attack immigrants and suppress the vote. Do not include any questions about citizenship or immigration status in the 2020 census." Add your name:

If we don't act now, Donald Trump will use the census to rig elections for Republicans until 2030. The Trump regime is trying to include a discriminatory citizenship question in the 2020 census that could result in a significant undercounting of immigrant communities and supercharge right-wing gerrymandering and voter suppression.1 The Department of Commerce is collecting public comments on Trump's proposed citizenship question until August 7. This is our chance to show Secretary of Commerce Wilbur Ross that the majority of the country opposes Trump's plan to use the census as a weapon to discriminate. Will you add your voice now? Tell Secretary of Commerce Wilbur Ross: Don't let Trump use the census to discriminate. Click here to sign the petition. Trump and his cronies have been trying to sabotage the census for months. The Government Accountability Office has already identified the census as a “high risk area” because of underfunding, canceled field tests and the late introduction of new systems and processes.2 The census also lacks competent leadership. Trump nominated Thomas Brunell, who has supported Republican gerrymandering, opposes early voting and has no relevant experience, for the top operational role at the U.S. Census Bureau. Under pressure, he withdrew the nomination, and there is still not a permanent leader for the work.3 The citizenship question is the latest assault. It is likely to suppress participation, resulting in the undercounting of immigrant communities and communities of color. This undercount will mean less federal funding for services in those communities. Just as importantly, states with large immigrant populations are also then at risk of losing seats in state legislatures, Congress and the Electoral College.4 More than 60 members of Congress, civil rights groups and over 160 mayors urged Ross not to include the citizenship question.5 Now that he has taken this dangerous step, the New York and California attorneys general are saying the question is unconstitutional and suing to block it.6 Sens. Hirono, Booker and Menendez have also introduced the Every Person Counts Act. This bill would prohibit the U.S. Census Bureau from asking a question on citizenship or immigration status.7 Now, we need to keep the pressure on. Wilbur Ross still has time to reverse course, do the right thing and block this extremist attack on our democracy. Add your name now to demand that he stop Trump from using the census to attack immigrants and suppress the vote: https://act.credoaction.com/sign/defend_the_census?t=7&akid=29500%2E12738962%2EYKd6Kj&t=8&akid=29501%2E3130208%2EI8sURE - Nicole Regalado, CREDO Action Add your name: References: Vann R. Newkirk II, "The 2020 Census Is Already in Big Trouble," The Atlantic, July 31, 2018. Danny Vinik and Andrew Restuccia, "Leading Trump Census pick causes alarm," POLITICO, Nov. 21, 2017. The United States Conference of Mayors, "Letter to Sec. Wilbur Ross," Feb. 6, 2018. Emily Badger, "A Census Question That Could Change How Power Is Divided in America," The New York Times, July 31, 2018. Rep. Pramila Jayapal, "Jayapal, Chu, Grijalva, Richmond Call on Sec. Ross to Reject Citizenship Questions on 2020 Census," Jan. 17, 2018. Hansi Lo Wang, "Multi-State Lawsuit Against Census Citizenship Question To Move Ahead," NPR, July 26, 2018. Sen. Bob Menendez, "Menendez, Booker, Hirono Introduce Bill to Prevent Trump Administration from Politicizing Census with Citizenship Question," March 22, 2018.

Stop Trump from using the census to discriminate

Tell Congress: "Prohibit the Census Bureau from asking about citizenship or immigration status in the 2020 census. " Add your name:

Donald Trump is trying to make the census into a racist voter suppression tool. Trump’s Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross recently caved to pressure from Trump and Trump's racist Attorney General Jeff Sessions and announced that the 2020 census would have a question about citizenship.1 Asking about citizenship weaponizes the census to perpetuate Trump’s war on immigrant communities. Because the inclusion of the question is likely to result in a significant undercounting of those communities, it also gives Trump and Sessions another way to rig elections for Republicans, from the state to the federal level, until 2030. Congress can block this racist, right-wing plan, but they have to act now. We need to make our voices heard loud and clear and demand a census where everyone counts. Tell Congress: Stop Trump from using the census to discriminate. Click here to sign the petition. Sessions asked Ross to include a citizenship question because he said it would help the Department of Justice enforce the Voting Rights Act. Coming from Sessions, a notorious xenophobe with a long history of trying to suppress the vote, such a claim is as laughable as it is appalling. Sessions has repositioned the DOJ so it turns its back on voter suppression and helps promote the myth of voter fraud. Handing him data about citizenship will give him more power to use his office to intimidate voters and attack voting rights in states across the country. During his campaign, Trump called on his racist supporters to monitor polling places and intimidate Black voters.2 When he took office, he brought together many of the country’s worst voting rights offenders to form a voter suppression commission designed to legitimize the voter fraud myth and expand suppression efforts at the national level.3 Now, he is using the census to supercharge his dangerous attempt to undermine our democracy. Congress has to stop him. Tell Congress: Stop Trump from using the census to discriminate. Click here to sign the petition. Trump and his cronies have been trying to sabotage the census for months. The Government Accountability Office has already identified the census as a “high risk area” because of underfunding, canceled field tests and the late introduction of new systems and processes.4 The census also lacks competent leadership. Trump nominated Thomas Brunell, who has supported Republican gerrymandering, opposes early voting and has no relevant experience, for the top operational role at the U.S. Census Bureau. Under pressure, he withdrew the nomination, and there is still not a permanent leader for the work.5 The citizenship question is the latest assault. It is likely to suppress participation, resulting in the undercounting of immigrant communities and communities of color. This undercount will mean less federal funding for services in those communities. Just as importantly, states with large immigrant populations are also then at risk of losing seats in state legislatures, Congress and the Electoral College. In the past few months, 61 members of Congress, civil rights groups and over 160 mayors urged Ross not to include the citizenship question.6 Now that he has taken this dangerous step, the New York and California attorneys general are saying the question is unconstitutional and suing to block it.7 Sens. Hirono, Booker and Menendez recently introduced the Every Person Counts Act. This bill would prohibit the U.S. Census Bureau from asking a question on citizenship or immigration status.8 House Democrats will introduce a companion bill soon.9 We need to fight this extremist attack on our democracy on every front, including in Congress. The more of us who sign, the greater the pressure on Congress. Click the link below to add your name to demand that Congress stop Trump from using the census to discriminate and suppress the vote: https://act.credoaction.com/sign/Trump_Census?t=8&akid=28168%2E3130208%2E2-uLUF Heidi Hess, CREDO Action Add your name: Tara Culp-Ressler, "Trump tells his supporters to watch polling places in urban areas," ThinkProgress, Oct. 1, 2016.  Ari Berman, "The Trump Administration Is Planning an Unprecedented Attack on Voting Rights," The Nation, June 30, 2017. U.S. Government Accountability Office, "2020 Decennial Census," accessed March 27, 2018. Danny Vinik and Andrew Restuccia, "Leading Trump Census pick causes alarm," POLITICO, Nov. 21, 2017. The United States Conference of Mayors, "Letter to Secretary Wilbur Ross," Feb. 6, 2018. Rep. Pramila Jayapal, "Jayapal, Chu, Grijalva, Richmond Call on Sec. Ross to Reject Citizenship Questions on 2020 Census," Jan. 17, 2018. Samantha Schmidt, "California, NY sue Trump administration over addition of citizenship question to census," The Washington Post, March 27, 2018. Sen. Robert Menendez, "Menendez, Booker, Hirono Introduce Bill to Prevent Trump Administration from Politicizing Census with Citizenship Question," March 22, 2018. Rebecca Savransky, "Dem lawmaker says she will introduce bill to block 2020 census from asking about citizenship," The Hill, March 27, 2018.

Tell Trump administration: Ethically compromised Wilbur Ross must go

Petition to the Trump administration: "Wilbur Ross reportedly misled the American people about his business conflicts of interest, maintains financial ties to Putin-linked Russian oligarchs and has ducked ethics scrutiny. Remove him from office immediately." Add your name:

Trump Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross reportedly misled the American people about his investments and appears to have used his position to line his own pockets.1 It’s time for him to go. Wilbur Ross’s hidden investments were one of the biggest revelations in the Paradise Papers – documents revealing how the Wall Street super-wealthy and international corporations avoid taxes.2 Not only does Ross have secret financial ties to Russian oligarchs with family ties to Vladimir Putin, the papers show that Ross was negotiating natural gas export deals while he held huge investments in the world’s largest fleet of liquefied natural gas (LNG) carriers.3 Worse, the ethics official who endorsed Ross’s activity received a promotion from Ross shortly after clearing him.4 This is another textbook case of the Trump administration’s phony populism serving as cover for the wealthiest few to enrich themselves at public expense. We need a concerted public push to expose Ross and make it clear that recusals cannot erase this conflict of interest and seeming corruption. Wilbur Ross has to go. Tell the Trump administration: Ethically compromised Wilbur Ross has to go. Click here to sign the petition. The Paradise Papers reveal that Trump Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross has financial ties to Russian oligarchs and did not reveal that information before his confirmation.5 But the conflict of interest goes beyond Russia. Wilbur Ross “personally negotiated” a trade deal involving the shipping of LNG to China. All the while, he held far greater investments in Navigator – the company with the largest fleet of LNG carriers – than he had previously revealed. When pressed, Ross points at a stamp of approval from Commerce Department ethics adviser David Maggi. But a few months after approving Ross’s suspect deals, Ross rewarded Maggi by promoting him to a permanent post.6 As Jeff Hauser of the Revolving Door Project put it: “The commerce secretary is behaving in a way that’s a prima facie conflict of interest. The designated ethics official should rein him in. He hasn’t, and he owes his job to Ross.”7 Once again, the oligarchs of team Trump are using their ill-gotten power to profit while making grand populist promises. It is up to us to expose this phony populism and demand that Ross step down. Tell the Trump administration: Ethically compromised Wilbur Ross has to go. Click here to sign the petition. Since the release of the Paradise Papers, Ross has agreed to divest of the original holding – which only goes to show how wrong-headed Maggi’s initial judgment actually was. We still do not know the extent of Ross’s financial holdings, and we cannot trust either his false promises to recuse himself or the ethics official who owes his job to Ross.8 As Sen. Richard Blumenthal said recently: “In concealing his interest in these shipping companies – and his ongoing financial relationship with Russian oligarchs – Secretary Ross misled me, the Senate Commerce Committee, and the American people. Secretary Ross’ financial disclosures are like a Russian nesting doll, with blatant conflicts of interest carefully hidden within seemingly innocuous holding companies.”9 Sen. Blumenthal has called for an Office of the Inspector General investigation, but it is hard to see how any finding would eliminate the fundamental and blatant conflict of interest. We need to keep Ross’s seeming corruption in the spotlight and keep the pressure on until he is no longer able to exploit the American people. Tell the Trump administration: Ethically compromised Wilbur Ross has to go. Click below to sign the petition: https://act.credoaction.com/sign/wilbur_ross?t=8&akid=26061%2E3130208%2E3dFiL2 - Murshed Zaheed, Political Director CREDO Action from Working Assets Add your name: References: David Dayen, “The Wilbur Ross Scandal Isn’t About Russia, It’s About Corruption,” The Intercept, Nov. 8, 2017. Richard Engel and Aggelos Petropoulos, “Paradise Papers: Leaks Show Wilbur Ross Hid Ties to Putin Cronies,” NBC News, Nov. 5, 2017. Dayen, “The Wilbur Ross Scandal Isn’t About Russia, It’s About Corruption.” Ibid. Engel and Petropoulos, “Paradise Papers: Leaks Show Wilbur Ross Hid Ties to Putin Cronies.” Dayen, “The Wilbur Ross Scandal Isn’t About Russia, It’s About Corruption.” Ibid. Ibid. Louis Nelson, “Wilbur Ross: Accusations that I failed to disclose Russia-linked investments are 'evil,’” POLITICO, Nov. 6, 2017.