The Extinction Prevention Act of 2026 is currently in the early stages of the lawmaking process. It was recently introduced in the Senate and sent to the Committee on Environment and Public Works for review. The bill is actively moving forward as it waits for the committee to discuss it.
Legislative Progress
Senate
House
President
Law
Unlikely to pass
While the bill has support from several Democratic senators, it currently lacks the bipartisan backing usually needed to pass. Most environmental bills of this size face a difficult path.
How we got here
This bill’s path across every version that has carried it.
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Reintroduced
Reintroduced from H.R. 3494 (118th), which died when its Congress ended.
The bill creates four new grant programs to save specific animals and plants from dying out. These groups include butterflies across North America, plants in Hawaii and US territories, freshwater mussels nationwide, and desert fish in the Southwest.
The government would provide $20 million every year from 2027 to 2032. This money would be split evenly, with $5 million going to each of the four conservation categories to fund local projects.
State agencies, Tribes, research groups, and nonprofits can apply for this money. They must use it for things like fixing habitats, researching populations, and teaching the public about these species.
The Secretary of the Interior will manage the funds and pick which projects get money. Projects that help species already on the endangered list or that have extra money from other sources will get priority.
This plan aims to fix a gap in current conservation efforts. Many of these specific groups, like mussels and desert fish, often get less attention and money than more famous endangered animals.
Impact Analysis
Govbase has not yet run an impact analysis on this legislation.
Milestones
2 milestones2 actions
May 14, 2026Senate
Read twice and referred to the Committee on Environment and Public Works.
Sent to a congressional committee for expert review. The committee decides whether this bill moves forward.
May 14, 2026
Introduced in Senate
The bill was officially filed and given a number. It now enters the legislative queue.
