Environmentalists Take Trump’s ‘God Squad’ to Court

(April 18, 2026) — Environmental groups are suing the Trump administration over its decision to exempt oil and gas drilling in the Gulf of Mexico from complying with the Endangered Species Act, a move they say threatens both the coastline region and the law designed to protect threatened plants and animals.Lawsuits against the God Squad’s decision, formally called the Endangered Species Committee and made up of several cabinet members, have come in rapid succession.

Six lawsuits have been filed against the decision so far, with both the Defenders of Wildlife and a coalition led by the National Wildlife Federation and the National Parks Conservation Association suing this week.

The Trump administration’s decision on March 31 marked the first time in decades the panel nicknamed the “God Squad”—stemming from its ability to decide if a development is worth the potential cost of an endangered species—has met. It followed a request from Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth that potential litigation in the Gulf of Mexico against oil and gas drilling presented a “national security threat.”

Endangered species litigation in the Gulf, he wrote, “creates uncertainty and instability that is beginning to chill oil and gas development” in the region and could have “disastrous consequences for our national security” while the country wages war with Iran.