To the editor: The U.S. Congress, as one of the three pillars of our republic, should have plenty to do these days as the Trump administration takes a wrecking ball to the federal government. Yet Jack Bergman and his Republican colleagues in Congress seem content to sit on their hands, giving up their Constitutional authority as an equivalent branch of government.

Congressman Jack Bergman recently leaped into action, however, to testify about a bill being considered in Congress that would, among other things, end-run the Endangered Species Act and categorically remove the gray wolf from federal protection.

In this March 25 Congressional testimony, Bergman claimed, falsely, that the U.P. wolf population “has been growing steadily for the past decade and a half.” The facts are different – the decade of wolf increase was long ago, in the 1990s after wolves became re-established in the U.P. As recently analyzed in the DNR’s 2022 Wolf Management Plan, wolf numbers in the past 15 years have fluctuated from 650 to 770. There is no evidence of recent increase, and wolves now occupy virtually all suitable habitat in the U.P.

Bergman claims there is a “critical” need for change, citing, again without evidence, increased livestock losses, attacks on hunting dogs, and increased wolf sightings near homes. If he was interested in a fair and balanced statement, he could have added that because wolves affect the behavior and survival of deer, they also likely reduce the spread of diseases like chronic wasting disease, improve habitat for moose that are vulnerable to deer parasites, and save human lives from car-deer collisions.

Jack Bergman could pay more attention to truly critical needs of his constituents, who are being harmed by the dismantling of the health and safety network provided by numerous federal programs. Everyone is being impacted — seniors relying on Social Security, veterans who depend on the services of the V.A., anyone who is counting on Medicaid for health care, young people trying to embark on useful careers of service, and children who rely on federal programs for daily nutrition and early assistance.

The little boy who cried “Wolf” in the old fable apparently needed attention. But in the end, his false claims led his neighbors to simply ignore him when genuine problems arose. They moved on, and the little boy became irrelevant. Facts and truth mattered. Is Jack Bergman following in the footsteps of the little boy?

Rolf Peterson

Houghton