Legal Showdown: 'National Security' Invoked to Bypass Endangered Species Protections in Gulf

A rare federal committee, nicknamed the 'God Squad,' met this week after Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth invoked 'national security' to potentially exempt Gulf oil and gas operations from Endangered Species Act requirements. This unprecedented use of the national security clause has sparked legal challenges and intense debate over executive authority, environmental protections, and public accountability for endangered species like the critically imperiled Rice's whale.