PETA Applauds Rep. Titus and Sen. Booker for Urging NIH to End Funding for Animal Experimentation in Foreign Labs

For Immediate Release:
July 17, 2025

Contact:
Tasgola Bruner 202-483-07382

PETA commends U.S. Representative Dina Titus (D-Nev.-01) and U.S. Senator Cory Booker (D-N.J.) for sending a letter to National Institutes of Health (NIH) Director Dr. Jay Bhattacharya, urging the agency to cease funding  experiments on animals in foreign laboratories. The letter highlights serious concerns regarding the NIH’s use of taxpayer dollars for research in foreign facilities that frequently fail to meet U.S. standards for animal welfare and scientific integrity.

Between 2011 and 2021, NIH allocated approximately $2.2 billion in grants and contracts for animal research in 45 countries. These funds supported nearly 1,300 projects at around 200 institutions. However, unlike research conducted in the U.S., foreign laboratories are not subject to the same rigorous animal welfare laws, oversight mechanisms, or transparency requirements. This lack of oversight has resulted in numerous instances of animal abuse, scientific fraud, and medical malpractice.

“PETA applauds Rep. Titus and Sen. Booker for their leadership in addressing the misuse of taxpayer funds for unethical animal research abroad,” says PETA Senior Vice President Kathy Guillermo. “The lack of transparency and oversight in these foreign labs not only harms animals but also undermines the scientific integrity of taxpayer-funded research; we are grateful for their efforts to ensure that public funds are used for research that meets the highest ethical and scientific standards.”

The letter from Rep. Titus and Sen. Booker calls for immediate action by NIH to halt the funding of animal experiments abroad, aligning with the goals of PETA’s Cease Animal Research Grants Overseas (CARGO) Act (H.R. 1085/S. 1802), which seeks to prohibit NIH from funding such research in foreign countries.

Rep. Titus and Sen. Booker are the lead Democratic sponsors of the CARGO Act. PETA also recognizes the strong leadership of U.S. Representative Troy Nehls (R-Texas-22) and U.S. Senator Rick Scott (R-Fla.), who serve as the lead Republican sponsors of the bill. Rep. Nehls and Sen. Scott sent a similar letter to NIH urging the agency to end funding for research overseas that incorporates animal experimentation.

Foreign laboratories are not held to the same standards as their U.S. counterparts, with no inspections of laboratories or audits of NIH-funded experiments. The CARGO Act was introduced following a PETA investigation into Caucaseco Scientific Research Center, a discredited Colombian laboratory with a history of violating animal care standards. The center received more than $17 million in U.S. funding, and NIH encouraged—during the previous administration— additional funding even after it was caught confining monkeys in filthy conditions, leaving them to die from infected wounds, and starving mice to the point of cannibalism.

PETA’s exposé led to multiple investigations by local authorities, the rescue of 108 monkeys and 180 mice, the retraction of a research publication, and expressions of concern on four other papers, including one co-authored by an NIH official.

Monkeys confined in filthy, decrepit cages at the Caucaseco Scientific Research Center, which received millions of dollars from NIH. Image obtained through public records law by PETA.

PETA continues to advocate for the CARGO Act and remains committed to promoting scientific research that prioritizes animal welfare and human relevance.

PETA—whose motto reads, in part, that “animals are not ours to experiment on”—points out that Every Animal Is Someone and offers free Empathy Kits for people who need a lesson in kindness. For more information, please visit PETA.org or follow the group on X, Facebook, or Instagram.

Note: PETA supports animal rights, opposes all forms of animal exploitation, and educates the public on those issues. PETA does not directly or indirectly participate or intervene in any political campaign on behalf of or in opposition to any candidate for public office or any political party.