The endangered red wolf (Canis Rufus) recovery program, initiated in 1987, is the first U.S. reintroduction of a species once considered extinct in the wild. Today, more than 50 red wolves, most of them born in the wild, roam two national wildlife refuges in eastern North Carolina and the Great Smoky Mountains National Park -- a triumph of the Endangered Species Act.

During Senate floor consideration of the Fiscal 1996 Interior Appropriations Bill, H.R. 1977, Senator Jesse Helms (R-NC) offered an amendment to eliminate funding for the red wolf recovery program, falsely stating that the animal is dangerous to people. On August 9, 1995, Senator Harry Reid (D-NV), a ranking minority member of the Environment and Public Works Committee, in conjunction with Chairman John Chafee (R-RI), moved to table (kill) the Helms amendment. The Senate agreed to the Reid motion 50 - 48. YES is the pro-environment vote.