Reps. Troy E. Nehls and Dina Titus Reintroduce Legislation to Cut Funds for Experiments on Animals Abroad
WASHINGTON, D.C. —Congressman Troy E. Nehls (R-TX-22) and Congresswoman Dina Titus (D-NV-01) reintroduced the Cease Animal Research Grants Overseas (CARGO) Act, a bipartisan bill aimed at halting the National Institutes of Health (NIH) funding foreign laboratories that conduct experiments on animals using American taxpayer dollars. Congressman Nehls and Congresswoman Titus previously introduced the CARGO Act in the 118th Congress.
Between 2011 and 2021, the NIH awarded over $2.2 billion in taxpayer-funded grants to foreign laboratories in regions including South America, Europe, Asia, and Canada. These funds were allocated to support animal experiments that lack accountability and adequate oversight, resulting in animal abuse, fraud, and research misconduct. NIH currently has no effective mechanisms to ensure compliance with basic animal welfare standards in these foreign labs and does not verify claims made in grant applications or progress reports.
The CARGO Act would redirect funds toward more effective, humane, and human-relevant research methods.
“American’s hard-earned taxpayer money should not be used to fund cruel experiments on animals overseas that do not contribute to advancing public health in our country,” said Congressman Nehls. “The fact that the NIH doled out over $2 billion in taxpayer money to foreign laboratories is unacceptable. I’m proud to reintroduce this legislation to ensure that hard-earned tax dollars are not wasted or used to torture animals.”
“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. “The CARGO Act is a critical step in ending animal suffering and redirecting resources to more reliable and humane research methods here in the United States.”
Cosponsors of the CARGO Act include Representatives Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-DC), Young Kim (R-CA-40), Brian Fitzpatrick (R-PA-01), Don Davis (D-NC-01), and Nicole Malliotakis (R-NY-11).
This legislation is supported by People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA).
"Billions of dollars are being funneled into cruel and ineffective experiments in foreign laboratories, with little to no accountability or oversight,” said Kathy Guillermo, the Senior Vice President of PETA. “Meanwhile, American taxpayers are footing the bill for this neglect. We thank Representatives Nehls and Titus for their leadership in sponsoring the CARGO Act, which will save both animals' lives and taxpayers' dollars. We urge everyone to contact their representatives and ask them to support this commonsense legislation."