AAVS News
June 27, 2025
Tell Congress NO funding for animal labs outside the U.S.
Stop Funding Animal Research Labs Outside the U.S.!
Congress is considering legislation that would stop the U.S. government from funding foreign animal research labs, which it has done for years with little oversight while putting animal lives at risk. According to a 2023 Government Accountability Office (GAO) report, the National Institutes of Health (NIH) provided $2.2 billion to 200 foreign institutions for research involving animals from 2011 to 2021.
The Cease Animal Research Grants Overseas Act of 2025 (CARGO Act) would end this practice!
Passage of the CARGO Act would help spare animals from needless suffering at foreign labs, and is especially important considering findings in the GAO report, which indicate that despite being required to do so, the NIH has not provided proper oversight to ensure the welfare of animals at these facilities. Instead, it relies on foreign laboratories to self-report information about animal care and use. The GAO stated that “there are risks that animal welfare issues may be underreported or misreported,” but that the NIH does not conduct site visits to ensure that the foreign labs are following proper animal care standards.
Over the past several years, the NIH has used your tax dollars to fund experiments in Colombia, where monkeys and mice infected with the parasite that causes malaria were denied veterinary care; in France, where mice were addicted to morphine and alcohol and then subjected to extensive behavioral testing; in Israel to expose mice and monkeys to whole-body radiation; in Peru, where pigs had catheters implanted into their carotid arteries so they could be infected with tapeworms; and in Sweden to surgically implant electrodes in rabbits’ legs and also cut their spinal cords. That’s just to name a few!
But the CARGO Act would help prevent this animal suffering by prohibiting the NIH from funding research at labs outside the U.S., where the agency has failed to provide oversight to protect animal welfare.
Please urge your Senators and Representative to support the CARGO Act today!
Other News
NIH Awards $13.7 Million to Primate Center, Despite Protests
While the federal government has been slashing spending for other biomedical research, the National Institutes of Health (NIH) has renewed funding to the Oregon National Primate Research Center to the tune of $13.7 million for 2026. Housing 5,000 primates for research, the Center has a history of animal welfare violations, most recently involving the death of a monkey, according to U.S. Department of Agriculture records. Governor Tina Kotek and animal advocates have called for the closure of the facility.
Developing Alternatives to Replace Animals
It can cost $1 billion to develop a new pharmaceutical drug, and 90% of new drugs tested on animals later fail in human clinical trials. Scientists at the Humanoid Center for Research Excellence at the University of California San Diego School of Medicine are working to improve drug development using human tissue instead of animals. Human-based alternatives produce data that is more reliable, but more funding is needed to adequately advance this technology.
Sanctuary Moment
Oklahoma Primate Sanctuary
Earlier this month, we celebrated Animal Sanctuary Caregiver Day to recognize the dedicated work of the unsung heroes of sanctuaries. Caregivers do a lot of difficult, oftentimes physical work in all kinds of weather and conditions. They also put a lot of effort into providing enrichment items, including special treats. One favorite of research-retiree Pickle is popsicles! Arriving at the Oklahoma Primate Sanctuary (OPS) in 2009, Pickle likely didn’t have such a varied diet while she was at the lab, let alone have the opportunity to pick her favorite flavor: cucumber lime!
Caring for more than 100 primates, the folks at OPS do an excellent job providing fun activities, toys, and new foods to keep their residents’ days happy and interesting. Just like with humans, little things can mean a lot to animals, too!
A longtime AAVS sanctuary grant recipient, OPS is active on social media. To keep up to date on everything happening at the sanctuary, be sure to check them out at the link below!