Grizzly recovery in the lower 48 is not finished, and in fact bears only occupy just 6% of their historic range according to the government’s own analysis. 

The Greater Yellowstone bears remain one of four, isolated populations. Long-term recovery depends on reconnecting these populations, maintaining or restoring secure habitat, and reducing human-caused mortality. 

True grizzly bear recovery  in the Northern Rockies requires establishing one unified population that includes their return to the Bitterroot Mountains. 

Removing federal protections now risks reversing decades of progress.

This bill replaces science with politics. The Endangered Species Act requires decisions about imperiled wildlife to be based on the best available science. H.R. 281 sidesteps that process entirely by ordering the government to delist grizzlies regardless of current science or changing conditions on the ground.

The legislation blocks the public from holding the government accountable. By prohibiting judicial review, the bill would prevent tribes, scientists, conservation groups, and citizens from challenging the decision in court. Eliminating oversight is a dangerous precedent that undermines the rule of law in wildlife management.

State management would likely mean trophy hunting. Wyoming, Idaho, and Montana have all proposed trophy hunts for grizzly bears following delisting in the past. Removing federal protections would almost certainly reopen those efforts before the species has achieved full recovery .

True recovery requires connected populations. Yellowstone bears remain genetically isolated from other grizzly populations. Scientists widely agree that long-term recovery requires connectivity with others in the region, and ultimately establishing a unified, interconnected population in the Northern Rockies. . Premature delisting could undermine the landscape-scale protections needed to achieve that goal.

Congress should strengthen recovery, not weaken it. The Endangered Species Act has been one of the most successful wildlife conservation laws in the world. Using Congress to force delisting of a species before recovery is secure threatens both grizzlies and the integrity of the ESA itself.