The legislation was part of the VA spending bill signed into law in March for fiscal 2024 and orders the VA to “implement a plan under which the VA secretary will eliminate research conducted using canines, felines, or non-human primates not later than two years after the date of enactment of this act.”
This represents the first time that Congress has directed a federal agency to completely end experimentation on certain animal species, according to the White Coat Waste Project, a nonprofit watchdog that works to raise awareness about government research using animals.
“A growing majority of taxpayers — Democrats, Republicans and Independents alike — oppose wasteful government testing on pets and primates and don’t want to be forced to foot the bill,” said Justin Goodman, senior vice president at White Coat Waste Project.
The organization said the VA “has active proposals for conducting taxpayer-funded animal experiments at 98 different VA facilities across the U.S.”
The group contends the VA is seeking to conduct tests on cats before the 2026 deadline at the Louis Stokes Cleveland VA Medical Center in Ohio.
The VA was unable to respond Wednesday to requests to provide details on VA experiments using animals.
Congress has sought to restrict VA spending for experiments on dogs, cats and primates since 2018. The efforts have drawn support from veterans in Congress and veterans organizations, including AMVETS.
The National Academies of Science, Engineering and Medicine issued a report in 2020 that specifically looked at VA experiments on dogs and criticized the VA for failing to seek alternatives, including advanced computer models and biotechnology. The report concluded most research on canines was “unnecessary.”
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