BREAKING: The Trump "God Squad" mentioned in this story voted unanimously to exempt oil and gas activities in the Gulf of Mexico from Endangered Species Act protections.

The group (nicknamed for its power to effectively sentence species to extinction) said national security compelled the decision.

The decision to remove ESA restrictions puts endangered whales and sea turtles at risk.

Sierra Club executive director Loren Blackford criticized the decision in a statement:

“The Trump administration manufactured yet another crisis, and now, in a reckless abuse of power, a species has been sentenced to extinction while the oil and gas industry secures one more handout,” Blackford said.

She continued: “By invoking ‘national security’ to sidestep a bedrock environmental law, the Trump administration is setting a dangerous precedent for politically motivated exemptions that could weaken protections for endangered species nationwide. Sierra Club is looking at all legal options in the face of this egregious decision."