The first one-hundred days of the new Republican Congress, has the potential to cause sweeping changes to our national marine resource laws. Rescissions on budgets affecting the National Marine Fisheries Service, the Animal Plant and Health Inspection Service, and the Fish and Wildlife Service threaten to drastically cut funds for research and implementation of existing federal regulations. A potential regulatory moratorium which would halt all new regulations implementing recent amendments to the Marine Mammal Protection Act, including those regulations designed to facilitate the application, issuance, and conduct of scientific research, is a likely possibility. In addition, a prohibition on the listing of new species or critical habitat under the Endangered Species Act is just the beginning of efforts in this Congress to eviscerate the Endangered Species Act.

What does the fine print in the "Contract With America'' really mean? What is the potential impact of these actions to marine wildlife conservation and medicine? What will be the fate of statutes pending reauthorization such as the Endangered Species Act and the Magnuson Fishery Conservation and Management Act? Finally, why should I as a veterinarian or researcher care?