U.S. Representatives from both sides of the aisle drew kudos from a watchdog group for their efforts to end federal research on dogs, a push that continued earlier this week.
The White Coat Waste Project, or WCW, praised Sarasota Republican Rep. Greg Steube on Tuesday for advocating that Congress cut money for the National Institutes of Health’s canine-related experiments.
The WCW did so as Steube pitched his Protecting Dogs Subjected to Experiments Act to the House Energy and Commerce Committee.
“We applaud Rep. Greg Steube for working with White Coat Waste Project on bipartisan efforts to cut off the NIH’s expensive, wasteful, and cruel dog experiments,” WCW Senior Vice President, Justin Goodman said in a statement.
“Our investigations have exposed that when it comes to widely opposed government animal testing at home and abroad, the NIH’s reckless spending is the biggest problem, and these lawmakers know the solution: Stop the money. Stop the madness!”
In the news: 4 Florida Republicans Make List Of “Waste Warriors” In Fight To End Animal Testing
During his remarks, Steube cited a WCW investigation that eventually forced Congress to pressure Dr. Anthony Fauci to cancel a $2 million project to test a seasonal allergy drug on dogs. The congressman noted that Fauci later admitted that using dogs was unnecessary and that rodents could be used instead.
“This alarming situation underscores the need for reform,” Steube testified.
Steube also cited polling that indicated 73% of Amnericans want dog-driven experiments to cease.
“The NIH spends tens of millions of dollars annually for wasteful and inhumane dog experimentation,” Steube said.
These experiments, he added, include injecting dogs with cocaine, cutting out their vocal cords to prevent barking in the lab, covering beagle puppies with ticks, breeding dogs to suffer from bleeding disorders, and infesting hounds with biting insects.
“The NIH’s in-house lab is currently performing septic shock tests in which dozens of puppies’ throats are cut open and infectious bacteria are forced directly into the dogs’ lungs to cause pneumonia,” Steube testified.
“Experimenters then bleed out the dogs, give them transfusions, and wait to see how long the dogs can survive. Any dog that survives longer than 96 hours is then killed.”
In the news: Progress To Protect Dogs From Taxpayer-Funded Abuse
“We don’t need to spend tax dollars on cruel dog experiments to advance science,” he argued. “This legislation will not only save countless dogs from unnecessary suffering but also redirect taxpayer dollars towards more ethical and cost-effective medical research.”
The WCW on Tuesday also gave props to Reps. Lisa McClain, a Republican, and Don Davis, a Democrat, for working to defund dangerous animal labs in China and Russia.
“We applaud Rep. Lisa McClain for fighting alongside the White Coat Waste Project to permanently defund dozens of dangerous animal labs in China and Russia. Our Worldwide Waste investigations have exposed that when it comes to widely opposed animal testing in enemy nations, the NIH’s reckless spending is the biggest problem, and Rep. McClain’s bipartisan Accountability in Foreign Animal Research (AFAR) Act is the solution: Stop the money. Stop the madness!” said WCW Senior Vice President Justin Goodman.
Rep. McClain was the recipient of a 2022 WCW Waste Warrior award for her leadership on efforts to defund animal labs in Russia and China, according to WCW.
McClain joined the effort urging the National Science Foundation and the National Institutes of Health (NIH) to cut off funding to condemning the funding awarded to EcoHealth Alliance, the disgraced virus-hunting animal lab funder that sent tax dollars to the Wuhan lab for animal experiments that some experts believe caused COVID.
Rep. Don Davis (D-NC) also testified in favor of the AFAR Act, which he is co-leading with Rep. McClain.
“I co-led another bipartisan bill with Congresswoman Lisa McClain to ban government funding for animal testing in adversarial nations, including Russia, China, and Iran. The Accountability in Foreign Animal Research (AFAR) Act currently enjoys bipartisan support from members of this Committee, and key House Appropriations bills for Fiscal Year 2024 include language closely mirroring the bill. If we learned anything from the pandemic, it is that foreign animal laboratories can be a breeding ground for the most lethal pathogens,” said Davis.
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