A federal panel voted unanimously on Tuesday to exempt oil and gas drillers operating in the Gulf of America from a decades-old law meant to protect endangered species including whales, birds, and sea turtles.

The meeting of the Endangered Species Committee for the first time in more than 30 years is the latest effort by President Donald Trump's administration to unwind regulations it says hold back domestic energy production.

The six members of the committee all voted to grant the exemption: Interior Secretary Doug Burgum, Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins, Secretary of the Army Dan Driscoll, Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Lee Zeldin, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Administrator Neil Jacobs, and Acting Chairman of the Council of Economic Advisers Pierre Yared.

The members said they were obligated to vote for the exemption because it had been requested by War Secretary Pete Hegseth, who was seated next to Burgum at the meeting.

In a statement at the meeting, Hegseth said he asked for the exemption because pending lawsuits threatened to stop oil and gas activities in the Gulf.

"Considering this litigation, it is essential to our national security to exempt all Gulf oil and gas activities from the Endangered Species Act requirements," Hegseth said.