Trump Signs an Executive Order Starting the Removal of Gray and Mexican Wolves From the Endangered Species List — "But You Can Shoot Them as of Today," He Tells Ranchers, and His Agriculture Secretary Has to Explain That They Still Cannot
On Friday, September 4, 2026, President Trump signed an executive order titled "Supporting America's Ranchers" that gives Interior Secretary Doug Burgum 90 days to determine whether the gray wolf and the Mexican wolf have met the recovery criteria for delisting or downlisting under the Endangered Species Act — and, if he finds they have, to begin the delisting process. The order also directs greater state involvement in wolf management and changes to how livestock depredations are investigated and how ranchers are compensated for confirmed kills. At the signing event Trump told ranchers they could shoot wolves "as of today." Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins, standing with him, explained that the animals remain federally protected and that ranchers can only "sit and watch them destroy their herd" while the listing stands — the order starts a review, it does not itself lift protections. The wolf order was signed alongside a second rancher-directed order on meat processing, antitrust enforcement under the Packers and Stockyards Act, and a review of mandatory country-of-origin labeling for beef — the White House's answer to the backlash from cattle producers over its decision to waive tariffs on 300,000 metric tons of imported ground beef. Republicans who have pushed delisting bills for years welcomed it. As of the following day no Democratic member of Congress had gone on record against the wolf order; the opposition on the record came from conservation groups.
“You're not allowed to protect yourself, right? Or your company, your cattle. So how do you like the idea that I'm letting you do that?”