The Endangered Species Act was passed into law in 1973 as a bipartisan statement on America’s commitment to protecting species from extinction. Almost all of the species listed under the ESA are still with us today and dozens have been formally recovered, both of which are testament to the law’s strengths. This might even be surprising when you consider that Congress has funded the ESA at less than 25% of what scientists say is needed to recover species. The long-term, chronic underfunding of the ESA has to have negative consequences for conserving the species most in need of protection, but what does that look like for the species? Find out here .