April, 26 2022, 03:38pm EDT

Monarch Butterflies, Dozens of Other Species One Step Closer to Endangered Species Protections
Legal Victory Secures Decision Dates for 27 Animals, Plants Across Country, Hundreds More Still Waiting
WASHINGTON
In response to three lawsuits brought by the Center for Biological Diversity, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service agreed today to dates for decisions on whether 18 plants and animals from across the country warrant protection as endangered or threatened species under the Endangered Species Act. The Service will also consider identifying and protecting critical habitat for another nine species.
"I'm so glad these 27 species are finally getting a shot at badly needed protections and a chance to avoid extinction," said Noah Greenwald, endangered species director at the Center. "It's incredibly frustrating, however, that some of these animals and plants have waited decades for help. Disturbingly, the Fish and Wildlife Service has done little to nothing to address the problems that caused these delays."
Twenty-one of the species will see protection decisions by the end of fiscal year 2022. These include tricolored bats threatened by disease, eastern gopher tortoises threatened by Florida's runaway sprawl, and longfin smelts in the collapsing ecosystem that is San Francisco Bay.
Western pond turtles and black-capped petrels will see decisions in fiscal year 2023. Monarch butterflies, whose population has been declined by 85% in two decades, will have to wait until fiscal year 2024, as will Bethany Beach fireflies and Las Vegas bearpoppies. The Mojave poppy bee will get a decision in 2026.
The court order addressed only a portion of the species for which the Center is seeking protection. Another 158 species, including Venus flytraps, Cascades frogs and golden-winged warblers, will continue in litigation. Roughly another 100 species are waiting for protection decisions but are not part of the litigation. Hundreds more have been identified as at risk of extinction by scientific organizations like NatureServe or IUCN yet aren't under consideration by the Service.
The Service has taken 12 years on average to list species under the Act, but according to the law it is supposed to take two. Five of the Florida plants awaiting critical habitat and included in today's court victory were first identified as needing the Act's protection in 1975 but didn't receive it until 2016 or 2017 -- more than 40 years later. Even then, the Service still didn't provide critical habitat protections at the time as required. At least 47 species have gone extinct while under consideration for endangered species protections.
"The Service's slow, bureaucratic process for listing species has tragic consequences, like further declines, more difficult recoveries and sometimes even extinction," said Greenwald. "This is simply unacceptable. We're in an extinction crisis, and scientists are warning of the impending loss of more than a million species. We need a Fish and Wildlife Service that does its job and acts with urgency."
Species Backgrounds
Monarch butterfly: Monarch butterflies are in steep decline because of pesticide spraying, habitat loss and climate change. The most recent population counts show a decline of 85% for the migratory beauties. The population is below the threshold at which government scientists estimate the migrations could collapse. The Center for Biological Diversity, along with the Center for Food Safety, petitioned for protection of monarchs on August 26, 2014. In 2020 the Service found they warranted protection but failed to actually provide it.
Eastern gopher tortoise: Gopher tortoises have shovel-like front legs and strong, thick back legs to help them dig intricate burrows, which are used by more than 360 other species. In Louisiana, Mississippi and western Alabama they're already protected under the Endangered Species Act, but those in eastern Alabama, Florida, Georgia and South Carolina still await protection. The tortoises need large, unfragmented, long-leaf pine forests to survive. They're severely threatened by development-caused habitat loss and fragmentation, which limits food availability and options for burrow sites and exposes them to being crushed in their burrows during construction, run over by cars or shot. They have been waiting for protection since 1982.
Western pond turtles: These turtles are found from western Washington south to northwestern Baja California. The name "pond" turtle is something of a misnomer because this species more frequently lives in rivers. Western pond turtles are highly opportunistic eaters and will consume almost anything they can catch and overpower. In 2014 the pond turtle was found to be two species, each of which is more endangered than previously thought. All populations north of the San Francisco Bay area are now known as the northwestern pond turtle. Turtles south of the San Francisco Bay are now known as the southwestern pond turtle. The turtles have been waiting for protection since 1982; the Center petitioned for federal protection for them in 2012.
Tricolored bat: Weighing less than a third of an ounce, the tricolored bat is the smallest bat in the East and Midwest. Their size and fluttery, slow flying style sometimes lead them to be mistaken for moths. Their fur appears yellowish-brown to reddish, while each individual hair is "tricolored" -- brown at the tip, yellow in the middle and dark at the base. Tricolored bats are entirely insectivorous, helping to limit mosquitoes and agricultural pests. The species is extremely vulnerable to the introduced disease white-nose syndrome, which has decimated bats across the eastern United States; tricolored bats have suffered close to 100% mortality in infected sites. The Center petitioned for their protection in 2016.
Louisiana pine snake: Practical predators, Louisiana pine snakes feed primarily on the pocket gophers whose burrows they inhabit. Louisiana pine snakes spend more than half their time underground and are harmless to humans. Historically Louisiana pine snakes ranged across nine Louisiana parishes and 14 Texas counties, but they now live in only four Louisiana parishes and five Texas counties. They were first identified as needing protection by the Service in 1982 but not granted it until 2018. They are now waiting for final critical habitat.
Longfin smelt: Longfin smelt were once one of the most abundant fishes in the San Francisco Bay and Delta; historically they were so common their numbers supported a commercial fishery. Because of poor management of California's largest estuary ecosystem, which has allowed excessive water diversions and reduced freshwater flow into the Bay, the longfin smelt has undergone catastrophic declines in the past 20 years. The fish have been waiting for protection since 1994; a petition for their protection was filed by the Center, Bay Institute and NRDC in 2007.
Lassics Lupine: There are only two known populations of the lupine, and both grow above 5,000 feet on talus slopes of Mount Lassic and Red Lassic Mountain in Humboldt and Trinity counties, California. These plants are threatened by climate change, altered fire regimes and increased predation by mammals due to climatic and vegetative changes in recent years. They have been waiting for protection since 1983; a petition for their protection was filed by the Center in 2016.
Black-capped petrel: These cliff-dwelling seabirds forage off the Atlantic Coast from North Carolina to Florida. There are only four known petrel nesting colonies on the island of Hispaniola and 500 to 1,000 breeding pairs. On shore the birds are threatened by the destruction of breeding habitat through deforestation. At sea oil and gas activities threaten the birds and their habitat with seismic exploration, oil spills and night lighting. The petrel has been waiting for protection since 1994, was petitioned for in 2011 and proposed for protection in 2018. The species awaits a final listing that is required to take one year.
Bethany Beach firefly: This firefly is found only within 1,500 feet of the Delaware shore, making its habitat extremely vulnerable to rising sea levels and increases in storm surges caused by climate change, as well as coastal development. The species flies at full darkness so that females can spot and blink in response to a male's bright double green flash. After mating the females will continue to flash, but this time mimicking other firefly species to lure in males to eat them and gain their valuable protective toxins. These mating signals can be disrupted by habitat changes, and light pollution can change their courtship behavior and mating success. A petition for the firefly's protection was filed by the Center in 2019.
Las Vegas bearpoppy: This plant thrives in gypsum-rich soils with cryptogamic crust, where the soil chemistry and structure prevent many other plants from establishing themselves. Most bearpoppies are found on public lands surrounding Lake Mead, including Gold Butte National Monument. The remaining poppies are found in the Las Vegas Valley, where they are at imminent risk of extinction because of urbanization and fragmentation. The species has been waiting for protection since 1975; a petition for its protection was filed by the Center in 2019.
Mojave poppy bee: This bee once inhabited at least 34 known sites across Nevada, California, Arizona and Utah. Its current known range is now just seven known sites. All lie in the Lake Mead National Recreation Area and adjacent Bureau of Land Management land in Clark County, Nevada, where the bee faces ongoing threats from grazing, mining and motorized recreational vehicles. The Center petitioned for protection of the poppy bee in 2018.
Key ring-necked snake: These 6-inch-long, nonvenomous residents of the Florida Keys, including Key West and Big Pine Key, could hardly be less of a threat. But the slate-gray snakes with muted neck rings face an ongoing barrage of unmitigated threats to the seaside limestone outcroppings and rockland areas they call home. Largely because of ongoing residential development, the snakes' pine rockland habitat has been reduced by 98%, leaving highly fragmented population pockets. Hurt not only by ongoing development but also by malicious killing by humans and predation by invasive species like fire ants, key ringneck snakes face rapid loss across their range. They also face catastrophic threats from climate change, with a sea rise of as little as 3 feet endangering much of their remaining population. They are listed as threatened in Florida, a status that makes killing and collection illegal but provides no protection from ongoing habitat destruction, the snakes' greatest threat. The species has been waiting for protection since 1982, and a petition for its protection was filed by the Center in 2012.
Big Pine partridge pea: The Big Pine partridge pea is a small shrub with five-petal, yellow flowers and pea-shaped fruit. It is found only in the pine rocklands of the lower Florida Keys, historically Big Pine Key, No Name Key, Ramrod Key, Cudjoe Key and Sugarloaf Key. The plant is now only found on Big Pine Key and Cudjoe Key. It was first identified as needing protection in 1975, petitioned for by the Center in 2004 and protected in 2016. It awaits designation of critical habitat.
Wedge spurge: The wedge spurge is a small, perennial herb with slender stems and a silvery appearance. It occurs in pine rocklands and roadsides on Big Pine Key, where its population is declining. It was first identified as needing protection in 1975, petitioned for by the Center in 2004 and protected in 2016. It awaits designation of critical habitat.
Sand flax: The sand flax is a small, perennial herb with yellow, buttercup-looking flowers. It is found in pine rocklands in Monroe and Miami-Dade counties, and its populations are declining. It was first identified as needing protection in 1975, petitioned for by the Center in 2004 and protected in 2016. It awaits designation of critical habitat.
Blodgett's silverbush: The Blodgett's silverbush is a woody shrub with small, green flowers. It grows in the pine rocklands of Monroe and Miami-Dade counties but has become increasingly rare. It was first identified as needing protection in 1975, petitioned for by the Center in 2004 and protected in 2016. It awaits designation of critical habitat.
Everglades bully: The Everglades bully had been a candidate for protection since 2004. The shrub is native to Miami-Dade County and is only found in pine rocklands. It was protected in 2017 but awaits designation of critical habitat.
Florida pineland crabgrass: The Florida pineland crabgrass is also known as Everglades grass or twospike crabgrass and only occurs in the Everglades in Miami-Dade and Monroe counties. It was first identified as needing endangered species protection in 1975. The Center petitioned the Service to protect it in 2004, and federal protections were provided in 2017. It awaits designation of critical habitat.
Florida prairie clover: The Florida prairie clover had been waiting on the Service's candidate list for federal protection since 1999. A petition for its protection was filed by the Center in 2004. The species was finally protected in 2017, but without critical habitat. It's a member of the pea family and grows up to 6 feet tall in pine rocklands and coastal uplands.
Pinelands sandmat: The Pinelands sandmat had been a candidate for protection since 1999, and the Center filed a petition for its protection in 2004. The species was finally protected in 2017, but without critical habitat. Also known as the pineland deltoid spurge, rockland spurge and wedge sandmat, it's a beautiful perennial herb with a red stem and delicate yellow flowers.
Kern Canyon slender salamander: These 5-inch-long, brown salamanders with black sides and striking bronze-and-red patches on their backs live only in California's lower Kern River Canyon. Although nearly all their known populations occur on public lands administered by the Sequoia National Forest, they continue to be threatened by habitat destruction and degradation caused by cattle grazing, logging, mining, highway construction, hydroelectric development and firewood collecting. They were first identified as needing protection in 1982, and the Center filed a protection petition for them in 2012.
Relictual slender salamander: After road construction wiped out the Lower Kern River Canyon population, these salamanders now have the smallest known range of any slender salamander -- only 3 miles separate populations remaining in the southern Sierra Nevada. Little is known about the biology of relictual slender salamanders, but scientists assume that, like other slender salamanders, these sit-and-wait predators use a projectile tongue to catch small invertebrate prey. Without state or federal protections, their high-elevation pine-fir forest habitats face degradation from logging. They were first identified as needing protection in 1994 and petitioned for by the Center in 2012.
Magnificent ramshorn: This snail is endemic to the lower Cape Fear River Basin in North Carolina. It is currently extinct in the wild because of massive alteration of its historic habitats by dams, development and pollution. Two captive populations keep hope alive, but stream restoration is badly needed to restore the species to the wild. The ramshorn has been waiting for protection since 1984; a petition for its protection was filed by the Center in 2004.
Rim Rock crowned snake: Named after the Miami Rim Rock geological formation, this small, non-venomous snake grows up to 10 inches long. It lives in critically endangered pine rockland and tropical hardwood forests around Miami and the Florida Keys, where it can be found hiding in holes and depressions in limestone rock. The snake's greatest threats are habitat destruction caused by sprawling development and sea-level rise fueled by climate change.
At the Center for Biological Diversity, we believe that the welfare of human beings is deeply linked to nature — to the existence in our world of a vast diversity of wild animals and plants. Because diversity has intrinsic value, and because its loss impoverishes society, we work to secure a future for all species, great and small, hovering on the brink of extinction. We do so through science, law and creative media, with a focus on protecting the lands, waters and climate that species need to survive.
(520) 623-5252LATEST NEWS
Rick Scott Pushes Amendment to GOP Budget Bill That Could Kick Millions More Off Medicaid
Scott's proposal for more draconian cuts has renewed scrutiny regarding his past as a hospital executive, where he oversaw the "largest government fraud settlement ever," which included stealing from Medicaid.
Jun 30, 2025
Sen. Rick Scott has introduced an amendment to the Republican budget bill that would slash another $313 million from Medicaid and kick off millions more recipients.
The latest analysis by the Congressional Budget Office (CBO) found that 17 million people could lose their health insurance by 2034 as the result of the bill as it already exists.
According to a preliminary estimate by the Democrats on the Joint Congressional Economic Committee, that number could balloon up to anywhere from 20 to 29 million if Scott's (R-Fla.) amendment passes.
The amendment will be voted on as part of the Senate's vote-a-rama, which is expected to run deep into Monday night and possibly into Tuesday morning.
"If Sen. Rick Scott's amendment gets put forward, this would be a self-inflicted healthcare crisis," said Tahra Hoops, director of economic analysis at Chamber of Progress.
The existing GOP reconciliation package contains onerous new restrictions, including new work requirements and administrative hurdles, that will make it harder for poor recipients to claim Medicaid benefits.
Scott's amendment targets funding for the program by ending the federal government's 90% cost sharing for recipients who join Medicaid after 2030. Those who enroll after that date would have their medical care reimbursed by the federal government at a lower rate of 50%.
The Affordable Care Act (ACA) introduced the increased rate in 2010 to incentivize states to expand Medicaid, allowing more people to be covered.
Scott has said his program would "grandfather" in those who had already been receiving the 90% reimbursement rate.
However, Medicaid is run through the states, which will have to spend more money to keep covering those who need the program after 2030.
The Center on Budget and Policy Priorities estimated that this provision "would shift an additional $93 billion in federal Medicaid funding to states from 2031 through 2034 on top of the cuts already in the Senate bill."
This will almost certainly result in states having to cut back, by introducing their stricter requirements or paperwork hurdles.
Additionally, nine states have "trigger laws" that are set to end the program immediately if the federal matching rate is reduced: Arizona, Arkansas, Illinois, Indiana, Montana, New Hampshire, North Carolina, Utah, and Virginia.
The Joint Congressional Economic Committee estimated Tuesday that around 2.5 million more people will lose their insurance as a result of those cuts.
If all the states with statutory Medicaid expansion ended it as a result of Scott's cuts, as many as 12.5 million could lose their insurance. Combined with the rest of the bill, that's potentially 29 million people losing health insurance coverage, the committee said.
A chart shows how many people are estimated to lose healthcare coverage with each possible version of the GOP bill.(Chart: Congressional Joint Economic Committee Democrats)
There are enough Republicans in the Senate to pass the bill with Scott's amendment. However, they can afford no more than three defections. According to Politico, Sens. Rand Paul (R-Ky.) and Thom Tillis (R-N.C.) have signaled they will vote against the amendment.
Sen. Jim Justice (R-W.V.) also said he'd "have a hard time" voting yes on the bill if Scott's amendment passed. His state of West Virginia has the second-highest rate of people using federal medical assistance of any state in the country, behind only Mississippi.
Critics have called out Scott for lying to justify this line of cuts. In a recent Fox News appearance, Scott claimed that his new restrictions were necessary to stop Democrats who want to "give illegal aliens Medicaid benefits," even though they are not eligible for the program.
Scott's proposal has also brought renewed scrutiny to his past as a healthcare executive.
"Ironically enough, some of the claims against Scott's old hospital company revolved around exploiting Medicaid, and billing for services that patients didn't need," wrote Andrew Perez in Rolling Stone Monday.
In 2000, Scott's hospital company, HCA, was forced to pay $840 million in fines, penalties, and damages to resolve claims of unlawful billing practices in what was called the "largest government fraud settlement ever." Among the charges were that during Scott's tenure, the company overbilled Medicare and Medicaid by pretending patients were sicker than they actually were.
The company entered an additional settlement in 2003, paying out another $631 million to compensate for the money stolen from these and other government programs.
Scott himself was never criminally charged, but resigned in 1997 as the Department of Justice began to probe his company's activities. Despite the scandal, Scott not only became a U.S. senator, but is the wealthiest man in Congress, with a net worth of more than half a billion dollars.
The irony of this was not lost on Perez, who wrote: "A few decades later, Scott is now trying to extract a huge amount of money from state Medicaid funds to help finance Trump's latest round of tax cuts for the rich."
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As Historic Heatwave Grips Europe, Coalition Says 'No to a Climate Law for Polluters'
"Will the European Commission propose a climate law that ends fossil fuel use and reflects the E.U.'s fair share of climate responsibility? Or will it choose political convenience?"
Jun 30, 2025
As yet another dangerous heatwave pushes temperatures well into the triple digits across much of Europe, climate defenders on Monday renewed calls for stronger action to combat the planetary emergency—including by ensuring that the impending European Climate Law ends fossil fuel use and eschews false solutions including international carbon offsetting.
Croatia, France, Italy, Portugal, and Spain are among the countries where near- or record-high temperatures have been recorded. Portugal and Spain both recorded their hottest-ever June days over the weekend. El Granado in southwestern Spain saw the mercury soar to nearly 115°C (46°C) on Saturday. The heatwave is expected to continue into the middle of the week, with authorities warning of elevated wildfire risk and potential severe health impacts.
"Extreme heat is no longer a rare event—it has become the new normal," United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres said Sunday on social media. "I'm experiencing it firsthand in Spain during the Financing for Development Conference. The planet is getting hotter and more dangerous—no country is immune. We need more ambitious #ClimateAction now."
On Monday, Real Zero Europe—"a campaign calling on the European Union to deliver real emissions reductions and real solutions to the climate crisis, instead of corporate greenwashed 'net zero' targets"—published a call for an E.U. Climate Law that does not contain provisions for international carbon offsetting, in which countries or corporations compensate for their greenhouse gas emissions by funding projects that reduce emissions in other nations.
🔴 OUT NOW📢 69 NGOs call on the EU to deliver a Climate Law that rejects international carbon offsetting & Carbon Dioxide Removals (#CDR), commits to a full fossil fuel phase-out, and reflects Europe’s fair share of climate responsibility!Read the statement👇www.realzeroeurope.org/resources/st...
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— Real Zero Europe (@realzeroeurope.bsky.social) June 30, 2025 at 2:40 AM
A draft proposal of the legislation published Monday by Politico revealed that the European Commission will allow E.U. member states to outsource climate efforts to Global South nations staring in 2036, despite opposition from the 27-nation bloc's independent scientific advisory board. The outsourcing will enable the E.U. to fund emissions-reducing projects in developing nations and apply those reductions to Europe's own 2040 target—which is a 90% net decrease in greenhouse gas emissions from 1990 levels.
The proposal also embraces carbon dioxide removal (CDR) technologies like carbon capture and storage, whose scalability is unproven. Climate groups call them false solutions that prolong the fossil fuel era.
"E.U. climate policy stands at a crossroads: Will the European Commission propose a climate law that ends fossil fuel use and reflects the E.U.'s fair share of climate responsibility?" the Real Zero Europe letter says. "Or will it choose political convenience—abandoning that goal under pressure from corporate and populist interests, and turning to risky, unjust carbon offsetting and other false solutions?"
"Taking responsibility for the E.U.'s past and present role in causing the climate crisis means doubling down on a just and full fossil fuel phaseout not hiding behind false solutions as currently proposed," the letter continues. "The law as planned will send a dangerous signal far beyond E.U. borders. The climate and biodiversity crises are already harming people, especially vulnerable communities and populations largely in the Global South, who have least contributed to the climate crisis."
The 69 groups stress that international carbon offsetting "is a smokescreen for giving license to fossil fuel use beyond 2050" that diverts critical resources and public funds from real climate solutions and climate finance."
"Given the scale of climate catastrophe, for the E.U. to allow international offsets and technological CDR gives a lifeline to polluting industries such as the fossil fuel, agribusiness, plastics, and petrochemical industries," the letter states.
"We say no to an E.U. Climate Law that puts polluting industries over people and climate by embracing the use of international offsets and CDR approaches," the letter's signers said. "We call on the Commission to deliver an E.U. Climate Law and its Nationally Determined Contribution (NDC) to the U.N. climate negotiations that clearly reflects the bloc's responsibility for the climate crisis. That means a full fossil fuel phaseout and a just transition."
This heatwave is brutal. Temperatures above 40°C in June across France, Spain, Italy...We still hear from right-wing politicians that “it’s just summer.” It’s not. This is the climate crisis courtesy of the fossil fuels industry. It’s not normal.
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— European Greens (@europeangreens.eu) June 30, 2025 at 7:01 AM
U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Türk also addressed the European heatwave on Monday, saying that "the climate crisis is a human rights crisis."
"Rising temperatures, rising seas, floods, droughts, and wildfires threaten our rights to life, to health, to a clean, healthy and sustainable environment, and much more," he continued. "The heatwave we are currently experiencing here shows us the importance of adaptation measures, without which human rights would be severely impacted."
"It is equally clear that our current production and consumption patterns are unsustainable, and that renewables are the energy source of the future," Türk asserted. "Production capacity for renewables increased five-fold between 2011 and 2023. What we need now is a roadmap that shows us how to rethink our societies, economies and politics in ways that are equitable and sustainable. That is, a just transition."
"This shift requires an end to the production and use of fossil fuels and other environmentally destructive activities across all sectors—from energy to farming to finance to construction and beyond," he added. "This will be one of the greatest transformations our world has ever seen."
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'Hell No,' Say Critics as Trump's Megabill Poised to Drastically Expand ICE's Dragnet
"This is the level of funding where all the possibilities for American politics that have been described as hyperbolic over the past decades—the comparisons to Nazi Germany and other nightmares of the 20th century—become logistically possible and politically likely," wrote one observer.
Jun 30, 2025
Critics are sounding the alarm as congressional Republicans edge closer to passing a sweeping tax and spending bill desired by U.S. President Donald Trump that would inject tens of billions of dollars of funding into U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, the agency at the forefront of the president's immigration crackdown.
"Republicans' Big, Bad Betrayal Bill shovels BILLIONS OF DOLLARS more into ICE's budget. Yes, the same ICE that has arrested U.S. citizens, carried out illegal deportations, and denied members of Congress access to detention facilities. HELL NO," wrote Rep. Pramila Jayapal (D-Wash.) on X on Sunday.
On Monday, the Senate kicked off a vote-a-rama process where senators can demand an unlimited number of votes on amendments to the reconciliation package.
While negotiations on the legislation are still ongoing, the version of the reconciliation bill that was narrowly advanced in the Senate on Saturday includes $29.85 billion for ICE to "remain available through September 30, 2029" for personnel recruitment, technology for "enforcement and removal operations," and other priorities. It also includes $45 billion "for single adult alien detention capacity and family residential center capacity," also available through the same period.
The bill text also includes $46.5 billion for U.S. Customs and Border Protection to spend on border infrastructure, to remain available through September 30, 2029.
Journalist Nicolae Viorel Butler, who reports on immigration for the outlet Migrant Insider, reported on Sunday that all told the measure proposes in excess of $175 billion in "direct immigration-related funding for fiscal year 2025."
This, Butler wrote, reflects "a historic expansion of immigration enforcement operations under a Republican-controlled Congress and the Trump administration."
This money would be a big addition on top of what these agencies already receive. For example, a National Immigration Forum explainer focused on the House version of the reconciliation package noted that $45 billion for ICE detention capacity constitutes an 800% increase in detention funding compared to fiscal year 2024.
"This is the level of funding where all the possibilities for American politics that have been described as hyperbolic over the past decades—the comparisons to Nazi Germany and other nightmares of the 20th century—become logistically possible and politically likely," wrote the philosopher Olúfẹ́mi O. Táíwò on Bluesky, commenting on the infusion of funding.
In every state, immigration arrests carried out by ICE have sharply increased. Also the number of those arrested and detained by ICE who have no criminal record is up more than 1,400% compared to a year ago, according to The Washington Post.
Increased funding for ICE and immigration enforcement is not the only part of the bill drawing scrutiny.
In May, nonpartisan budget scorekeepers said that the U.S. House of Representatives-passed version of the legislation would, if passed, cut household resources for the bottom 10% of Americans while delivering gains to the wealthiest in the form of tax breaks. Bobby Kogan, senior director of federal budget policy at the Center for American Progress, called the House version of the legislation the "the largest transfer of wealth from the poor to the rich in a single law in U.S. history."
"If the Republican budget passes, a lot of Americans will indeed suffer. But so too will millions of noncitizens who came to the U.S. seeking better lives for themselves and their families," wrotePost columnist Philip Bump of the increase in funding for ICE.
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