Cease Animal Research Grants Overseas (CARGO) Act

H.R. 1085 and S. 1802, the Cease Animal Research Grants Overseas (CARGO) Act, would prohibit the National Institutes of Health (NIH) from sending taxpayer-funded grants to foreign laboratories for experiments involving animals.

Between 2011 and 2021, NIH gave $2.2 billion in taxpayer dollars to foreign laboratories for animal experimentation.

NIH conducts no oversight or investigations into the laboratories that receive its grants, which has led to instances of fraud, animal abuse, and medical research misconduct.

Specifically,the bipartisan CARGO Act would prohibit the NIH from providing any support for activities or programs that use live animals for research, including grants, contracts, cooperative agreements, or technical assistance, unless the research is conducted in the United States.

Fraud

• Between 2003 and 2023, the NIH provided more than $17 million to Colombian organizations, including the Caucaseco Scientific Research Center (Caucaseco) and the Malaria Vaccine and Development Center (MVDC), for projects involving malaria experiments on mice and owl monkeys, a vulnerable species.
• Following an exposé by PETA, Colombian government agencies launched investigations into these organizations.
• The Colombian government rescued 180 mice and 108 monkeys who were confined to filthy cages in a makeshift pen and deprived of veterinary care, shut down the facilities, fined the experimenters more than $281,000 for lacking permits to capture and experiment on monkeys, audited their contracts with a local funding agency, and requested the refund of public money.
• Conversely, it took NIH six months to make Caucaseco and the MVDC ineligible to receive more funding.

Animal Abuse

• Australia: forcing dogs to become addicted to opioids.
• Australia: infecting bats with a disease so deadly that it kills 60% of humans infected.
• Canada: causing strokes in monkeys.
• Canada: electroshocking rats repeatedly to cause anxiety.
• England: addicting rats to cocaine.
• France: addicting mice to morphine and alcohol.
• Israel: full-body irradiation of monkeys.
• St. Kitts, West Indies: sickening monkeys with typhoid fever.

Medical Research Misconduct

NIH funding has been used and reported in the following publications, which describe experiments on animals performed at foreign facilities and were later retracted for failing to meet the standards of scientific integrity.

• Belgium, Vrije Univeriteit Brussel: Errors in data.
• Canada, Ontario Cancer Institute: Data falsification.
• Canada, Ottawa Hospital Research Institute: Data falsification.
• China, Henan University of Science and Technology: Serious animal welfare concerns.
• England, University of Liverpool: Falsification of data.
• Ireland, University College Cork: Experimenters lied about medications used on animals.
• Italy, IRCCS-Istituto di Ricerche Farmacologiche Mario Negri: Inclusion of data that didn’t stem from the experiments reported.
• Switzerland, University of Bern: Extensive errors in data analysis and description.

Recent Coverage

• Sen Rick Scott (R-FL) Press Release: Sen. Rick Scott Introduces Legislation to Prohibit NIH From Funding Experiments on Animals in Foreign Labs
• Rep. Troy Nehls (R-TX-22) Press Release: Reps. Troy E. Nehls and Dina Titus Reintroduce Legislation to Cut Funds for Experiments on Animals Abroad
• Rep. Dina Titus (D-NV-01): Rep. Dina Titus Reintroduces Legislation to Stop Overseas Animal Abuse
• Washington Times: House lawmakers push forward legislation to cut funding on animal testing abroad
• Washington Examiner: Hey DOGE: Lawmakers target $2 billion sent overseas to ‘torture animals’
• Tampa Free Press: Florida, New Jersey Senators Target Overseas Animal Research In Bipartisan Bill
• Florida Politics: Rick Scott backs bipartisan bill cutting off funding for animal testing overseas

Sponsors and Cosponsors

18 (8 Democratic, 10 Republican) in the House of Representatives
2 (1 Democratic, 1 Republican) in the Senate
*Original Sponsor

National, State, and Local Supporters

31 National Organizations
45 State and Local Organizations

National Organizations

State and Local Organizations