For Immediate Release
By: R-CALF USA Marketing Director Jaiden Moreland
Contact: R-CALF USA CEO Bill Bullard
Phone: 406-252-2516; r-calfusa@r-calfusa.com
BILLINGS, Mont., Jan. 23, 2026 — R-CALF USA applauded the House Committee on Natural Resources yesterday for voting to advance H.R. 4255, the Enhancing Safety for Animals Act, out of Committee.
If passed, the bill, led by Rep. Paul Gosar, R-Ariz., would remove the Mexican wolf from the lists of threatened and endangered species under the Endangered Species Act.
“We applaud Congressman Gosar’s efforts in leading this legislation to protect the livelihoods of American ranching families,” said R-CALF USA Property Rights Chair Shad Sullivan. “Delisting the Mexican wolf is long overdue. Wildlife management policy must shift to include boots-on-the-ground livestock producers, local communities and an emphasis on private property rights, with less overreach from government agencies and nongovernmental organizations.”
In late 2025, the U.S. House of Representatives passed a similar bill addressing the gray wolf, H.R. 845.
According to R-CALF USA, these actions reflect a broader and long-overdue reassessment of state and federal wolf policies, as livestock producers across the country continue to bear the financial and operational burden of depredation. That reassessment is reflected in recent state actions, including a decision by Colorado Parks and Wildlife to pause additional gray wolf releases this season. R-CALF USA emphasized that the pause does not resolve the ongoing challenges producers and communities continue to face.
H.R. 4255 moves to consideration on the House floor, while H.R. 845 awaits consideration in the U.S. Senate.
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Ranchers Cattlemen Action Legal Fund United Stockgrowers of America (R-CALF USA) is the largest producer-only lobbying and trade association representing U.S. cattle and sheep producers. It is a national, nonprofit organization dedicated to ensuring the continued profitability and viability of the U.S. cattle and sheep industries. Visit www.r-calfusa.com or call 406-252-2516 for more information.