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, putting animal lives at risk. However, the Cease Animal Research Grants Overseas Act of 2023 (CARGO Act) could end this practice! It would amend the Public Health Service Act to prohibit the National Institutes of Health (NIH) from providing “support (including any grant, contract, cooperative agreement, or technical assistance) for any activity or program that uses live animals for research” at facilities located outside the U.S.

Last March, the Government Accountability Office (GAO) reported that the NIH provided $2.2 billion to 200 foreign institutions for approximately 1,300 research projects involving animals from 2011 to 2021. Despite being required to do so, the NIH has not provided proper oversight to ensure the welfare of animals at these labs. Instead, it relies on foreign facilities to self-report information about animal care and use. The GAO found that “there are risks that animal welfare issues may be underreported or misreported,” but that the NIH does not conduct site visits or require third-party verification to ensure that the foreign labs are following proper animal care standards.

Earlier this year, following reports of animal cruelty and neglect, Colombian officials suspended studies at an NIH-funded malaria lab and seized more than 100 owl monkeys and 180 mice. Researchers there had received $17.6 million in NIH funding since 2003, and are also accused of falsifying ethics approvals. That lab is now no longer getting NIH funds, but there is concern that the agency may still be handing out millions of dollars without proper assurances that animal welfare will be protected and research will be conducted with scientific integrity.

We must act now to correct this problem before another horrific incident of animal suffering is uncovered. Please urge your U.S. Representative to support the CARGO Act today!