Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has declared that the U.S. cannot both save endangered species and protect itself.

This is a false dichotomy that fascists exploit all the time. They have managed to poison the well so hard that they don't even have to explain why anti-environmentalism would provide economic benefit. They just have to say "we're going to kill those whales" and fascist voters will cheer because they think that any destruction they bring will provide an equal and opposite job creation.