November 13 2026 — Democrats are wasting no time seeking answers from U.S. President Donald Trump’s government on its moves to roll back key protections under the Endangered Species Act (ESA) as they prepare to take control of Congress in the new year.
Democrats won sweeping victories in the November mid-term elections, swapping control of both the U.S. House and the U.S. Senate from Republican to Democrat control. The change in power will give Democrat lawmakers a stronger position to push back on Trump’s policy agenda, which has included massive cuts to staff and funding at NOAA and the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and rewriting rules designed to protect endangered animals.