WASHINGTON, D.C. — Oregon U.S. Rep. Cliff Bentz leads an oversight field hearing Friday, May 3, in Minnesota on delisting the gray wolf.

Bentz chairs the House Subcommittee on Water, Wildlife, and Fisheries. According to the announcement from his staff, the hearing is to “provide a platform for expert testimony on the multifaceted implications of the gray wolf surge, including its economic, ecological and societal ramifications. Additionally, it will scrutinize the federal government’s role in addressing this pressing issue and examine potential pathways forward.”

“Wolves are natural-born killers, and they are wreaking havoc upon wildlife, preying on livestock, and damaging the ability of fish and wildlife agencies to do their jobs,” Bentz said in a written statement. “The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has admitted that ‘wolves are not at risk of extinction in the Western United States now or in the foreseeable future,’ so we must ask ourselves: how many wolves are enough?”

Bentz stated the Biden Administration remains idle on the matter, and while the Fish and Wildlife Service holds “strategic alignment workshops” the population of gray wolves continues to grow and cause “inhumane and unacceptable” losses to ranchers, farmers, and outdoorsmen.

The hearing begins at 10 a.m. CDT. The public can watch at shorturl.at/hvyF3.

For information about the subcommittee, visit shorturl.at/yIQY7.