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Congressman Biggs Introduces the American Sovereignty and Species Protection Act

January 16, 2020

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, Congressman Biggs introduced the American Sovereignty and Species Protection Act to prohibit the Department of the Interior from purchasing land in foreign nations to protect endangered species not native to the United States, which the Endangered Species Act (ESA) currently allows. He offered the following statement:

"I don't want to see any endangered species become extinct, and I have little doubt that the ESA's foreign land purchase provisions were well-intentioned. However, they are very unlikely to achieve results. Just because a Department of the Interior official purchases foreign land with the hope that it will be used to protect endangered species does not mean that a foreign government will see things in the same way. Because we don't have sovereignty over the internal affairs of other countries – and very little influence over the developing nations in which so many endangered species live – I would much rather see taxpayer dollars used to advance domestic priorities."

Congressman Andy Biggs is a second-term Representative from Arizona's Fifth Congressional District, representing parts of Chandler, Gilbert, Mesa, and Queen Creek. Congressman Biggs is a member of the House Judiciary and Science, Space, and Technology committees. He lives with his wife, Cindy, in Gilbert.