Huffman, Hoyle Warn Changes to U.S. Positions on Wildlife Trade Could Increase Wildlife Trafficking, Zoonotic Disease Risks
Ahead of international conference on wildlife trade, Ranking Members warned Trump political appointees are weakening protections against international wildlife trafficking
Washington, D.C. – House Natural Resources Committee Ranking Member Jared Huffman (D-Calif.) and Subcommittee on Water, Wildlife, and Fisheries Ranking Member Val Hoyle (D-Ore.) demanded answers from the U.S. Department of State and Interior regarding U.S. engagement in the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES).
CITES is an international treaty that regulates the lawful trade in endangered species and combats illegal wildlife trafficking. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) serves as the lead federal agency on CITES issues due to its statutory role in implementing the treaty and its science-based approach to regulating wildlife trade.
However, under the Trump administration, the State Department is asserting itself as the lead agency for CITES, and the U.S. delegation from FWS has been filled with political appointees who are changing the United States’ longstanding positions on key issues. CITES Standing Committee meetings commenced on November 2, 2026, with a number of State Department officials in attendance. The United States has long held that a science-based management approach is key to the treaty’s success. The Ranking Members warned that the delegation is moving away from those science-based principles to favor wildlife trade industry interests, potentially weakening protections for endangered species and increasing the risk of trafficking.
Among these changes is a new position advanced by FWS Deputy Assistant Secretary at the Department of the Interior, Dr. Jenifer Chatfield, a Trump Administration appointee, to turn a blind eye to zoonotic disease risks. At a CITES meeting in July, Dr. Chatfield claimed that wildlife trade does not pose a significant zoonotic risk and that zoonotic risks should not lead to changes in international wildlife trade policy. These are diseases that can spread from animals to people, making safeguards for wildlife trade a matter of public health as well as conservation. Ignoring those risks could leave families and communities more vulnerable to future outbreaks. Dr. Chatfield has come under fire for her close association with industries that would benefit from weaker protections in international wildlife trade.
Dr. Chatfield’s actions are particularly concerning given her track record of involving herself in official government decisions that could benefit her family’s lemur breeding operation and other wildlife businesses. In April, Ranking Member Huffman referred an investigation to the Interior Inspector General regarding Dr. Chatfield’s potential violations of federal ethics rules and federal laws.
Combating wildlife trafficking and other illegal activities that often operate alongside it has long been a bipartisan priority. The Ranking Members emphasized that “Congress has repeatedly expressed its interest in confronting wildlife trafficking, most recently through the 2022 reauthorization of the END Wildlife Trafficking Act. We are firmly committed to ensuring the proper implementation of CITES. Proper implementation safeguards American businesses and helps ensure that traffickers cannot corrupt legitimate trade or exploit global supply chains to undermine species’ survival.”
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