Congresswoman Dina Titus (D-NV-01), a member of the Congressional Animal Protection Caucus, today reintroduced bipartisan legislation with Congressman Troy Nehls (R-TX-22) to stop animal abuse in overseas scientific experiments funded with U.S. taxpayer dollars.

The Cease Animal Research Grants Overseas (CARGO) Act of 2025 would prohibit the National Institutes of Health (NIH) from awarding financial support to any foreign program that uses live animals in research. The legislation would ensure regular inspections and prompt reporting of violations of animal welfare. Despite its mandate to verify that foreign facilities receiving federal funds are complying with best practices in animal testing, the NIH routinely has failed to do so, causing undue harm to countless animals, and necessitating this legislation.

“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,” Congresswoman Titus said. “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.”

Rep. Troy Nehls commented, "There is no justification for continuing to send American taxpayers' hard-earned money overseas to fund cruel experiments on animals that do not contribute to advancing public health in our country. I am proud to reintroduce the CARGO Act, sending a clear message that we will not tolerate wasteful spending or animal abuse."

Rep. Titus has previously been critical of the NIH’s live animal testing and led her colleagues in demanding accountability in their testing facilities. After the NIH awarded a grant to the Washington National Primate Research Center despite its documented history of abuse, Rep. Titus raised serious concerns over the agency’s continued support for cruel experiments on monkeys with little benefit to human medicine.

Rep. Titus also has confronted other federal agencies, including the VA, that allow cruel and outdated animal tests. She successfully secured the release of thousands of beagles from a facility in Virginia monitored by the Department of Agriculture. She also brought an end to the VA’s experiments on kittens, and championed language in the FY23 Appropriations bill to severely curtail the VA’s capacity to perform tests on other animals.