MADISON, WISCONSIN – President Donald Trump’s administration has postponed a decision on granting federal protections to monarch butterflies, despite conservationists’ longstanding warnings about declining populations. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service had announced in December 2024, during the final weeks of the Biden administration, plans to list the butterfly as a threatened species by the end of 2025, describing it as “iconic” and “cherished across North America.”
In a September report from the Office of Management and Budget, the Trump administration labeled the listing as a “long-term action,” meaning the decision will not occur during the current federal year. An agency spokesperson emphasized that any listing must be based on sound science and available data, while promoting voluntary, local conservation efforts. Monarch advocates criticized the delay, calling it “bureaucratic limbo” for the species. Monarchs face significant threats from climate change and habitat loss, with experts projecting high probabilities of extinction by 2080 if protections are not implemented. Proposed protections would restrict harmful activities, designate critical habitat in California, and allow limited educational and small-scale handling of the butterflies.