Reps. Troy E. Nehls and Dina Titus Introduce Bipartisan Legislation to Cut Funds For Experiments on Animals
WASHINGTON, D.C.— Today, Congressman Troy E. Nehls (R-TX-22) and Congresswoman Dina Titus (D-NV-01) introduced the bipartisan Cease Animal Research Grants Overseas (CARGO) Act, which would prevent American taxpayer dollars from being used to experiment on animals in foreign countries.
The Cease Animal Research Grants Overseas (CARGO) Act of 2023 would prohibit the National Institutes of Health (NIH) from awarding any financial support to an activity or program that uses live animals in research unless that research occurs in the United States to ensure regular inspections and prompt reporting of violations of animal welfare. A recent report showed that despite its mandate to verify whether foreign facilities that receive grants comply with federal practices, the NIH routinely failed to do so, causing undue harm to countless animals.
Between fiscal years 2011 and 2021, the NIH gave approximately $2.2 billion to 200 foreign organizations to fund 1,357 grants and contracts involving experiments on animals. Those funds went to 45 countries, including Brazil, China, Colombia, and Russia, supporting the work of foreign labs without verifying that the claims in awardees’ grant applications and progress reports are true.
“From 2011 to 2021, the National Institutes of Health (NIH) shelled out a staggering $2.2 billion in taxpayer money to foreign organizations, with a shocking 90% of these funds never audited by NIH. That is unacceptable,” said Congressman Nehls. “To make matters worse, NIH does not inspect the laboratories it funds. They simply shell out billions of dollars to organizations that could be torturing animals or wasting funds.”
“Too many NIH programs overseas either fail to hold up under intensive scrutiny or are exempt from that oversight altogether, resulting in the abuse of animals through experiments funded by taxpayer dollars,” said Congresswoman Titus. “By onshoring these experiments and instituting more stringent regulations of the NIH’s experimental contractors, we can stop funding cruelty to innocent animals and restore integrity to this critical component of our national scientific research.”
This legislation is supported by People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA).
“We’re thankful for Representatives Titus’ and Nehls’ leadership and compassion,” said Kathy Guillermo, the Senior Vice President for People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA). “The CARGO Act would prevent misery and death for animals in dreadful conditions at foreign laboratories funded by American taxpayers.”