House Dems look to unwind ‘God Squad’ ruling

House Democrats are spearheading legislation to restore Endangered Species Act protections in the Gulf of Mexico, in the latest bid to walk back exemptions for oil and gas drilling projects handed out by the "God Squad" earlier this year.

Rep. Don Beyer (D-Va.) introduced the “Protect Gulf Life Act” on Thursday, which would nullify a decision from the Endangered Species Committee, which is nicknamed the “God Squad” for its ability to effectively condemn a species to extinction.

The Trump administration convened the committee in March for the first time in more than three decades, when it opted to exempt 600,000 square miles worth of drilling projects from ESA protections citing "national security" concerns. Those concerns were centered largely on lawsuits that the Defense Department asserted were "beginning to chill oil and gas development."

“Congress did not establish the Endangered Species Committee to give out sweeping exemptions to special interests, and this abuse of power is another corrupt handout to benefit industry at the expense of threatened species,” Beyer, co-chair of the Congressional ESA Caucus, said in a statement.

“This unprecedented decision bypassed legally-required procedures, blocked my attendance at a public meeting, and put some of the Gulf’s most vulnerable wildlife at even greater risk of extinction.”

Opponents of the Trump administration's ruling argue that the waiver could impact 20 endangered species in the Gulf, including sea turtles, manta rays, certain sharks and the Rice’s whale, which already faces the risk of extinction.

The bill is co-sponsored by Democrats including Florida Reps. Kathy Castor, Maxwell Frost and Darren Soto, and Reps. Debbie Dingell of Michigan, Shomari Figures of Alabama and Jared Huffman of California, the ranking member on the House Natural Resources Committee. Environment groups, including Oceana, the Center for Biological Diversity and Sierra Club, have also endorsed the measure.

“This bill would put a stop to the reckless move by the Trump administration to put short-term profits over entire species' survival,” wrote Julia Singer, Oceana campaign manager, in the release. “When a species is gone, it's gone.”

Senate Democrats launched their own probe into the "God Squad's" convening in late April, accusing the Trump administration of misusing the process to dole out political favors to President Donald Trump's campaign supporters.

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