Mace urges RFK Jr to end NIH funding for cat, dog testing

Rep. Nancy Mace, R-S.C., urged Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., in a letter to end National Institutes of Health funding for cat and dog testing.

In a letter sent on Friday, Mace inquired about "the National Institutes of Health's (NIH) progress to 'phase out' funding for harmful research on cats and dogs, which it said it was committed to last July."

She noted that White Coat Waste found NIH grant records that indicate the agency awarded millions of dollars "in funding to new research projects involving painful and deadly experiments on dogs and cats in the U.S. and in foreign countries throughout fiscal year 2025."

Last month, "NIH renewed funding for grants which involve inducing strokes in puppies and kittens, breeding dogs to suffer from blindness and bleeding disorders, and other abusive experiments," Mace wrote.

The congresswoman asked Kennedy to provide by Feb. 20 "a detailed update on all steps the NIH has taken to phase out funding for dog and cat research since NIH leadership committed to doing so in July 2025. If it has not already done so, we also request NIH adopt a policy prohibiting new and existing projects from using NIH funds to support harmful dog and cat research."

White Coat Waste Senior Vice President Justin Goodman said in a statement on Thursday, "In response to White Coat Waste campaigns, Trump’s NIH Deputy Director Nicole Kleinstreuer told taxpayers last year that funding for dog and cat testing 'predates' her and that she was 'working tirelessly' to phase it out. Instead, our investigations have documented how the NIH has continued to dole out tens of millions in new taxpayer money to wasteful Fauci-era dog and cat labs as recently as last month."

"The NIH promised the American people they would end this taxpayer-funded animal cruelty, and it appears they have not followed through on their promise," Mace said in a statement on Thursday. "Taxpayers are being forced to bankroll torturous experiments on puppies and cats, all disguised as 'research.' There is no excuse for this. These are not lab tools. These are our family, our pets. We will not remain silent while innocent animals are being tortured on the American taxpayers' dime."