US Tax Dollars Continue To Fund Animal Experiments In Foreign Labs | The Animal Rescue Site
Matthew Russell
American taxpayers may not realize it, but federal research money has supported animal experiments in foreign laboratories for years. A U.S. Government Accountability Office report found that the National Institutes of Health provided about $2.2 billion to foreign organizations for research involving animals for a full decade.
That is a huge sum. It also comes with a serious accountability problem.
NIH funding has supported animal research at foreign institutions.
Oversight Gaps Leave Too Much Hidden
The GAO found that NIH relied on annual self-reported information from funding recipients to monitor whether foreign facilities were complying with animal welfare standards. The agency did not verify the reliability of that information at the time of the report. That meant animal welfare problems could be missed or misrepresented.
Critics say this creates a dangerous gap. The New York City Bar Association argued that foreign animal research tied to NIH funding has lacked the kind of direct verification that would give the public confidence that humane standards are truly being met.
A GAO report found oversight weaknesses in foreign animal research tied to NIH funding.
Reports Have Described Severe Suffering
Concerns about oversight are not abstract. A report from PETA described NIH-linked experiments outsourced to laboratories in China where mice were subjected to painful cancer studies and papers were later retracted over animal welfare and data concerns. One Green Planet also highlighted U.S.-funded animal experiments in foreign countries and raised concerns about weak oversight and limited transparency. The Washington Times likewise emphasized GAO’s findings that anti-cruelty standards were not being adequately policed.
Foreign facilities have often been monitored through self-reported compliance information.
The Lawmakers With Power To Stop This Should Act
The pressure should fall on the committees that shape NIH funding and oversee federal health policy, including the House Labor-HHS Appropriations Subcommittee. the Senate Labor-HHS Appropriations Subcommittee, which remains central to NIH funding decisions, the House Energy and Commerce Subcommittee on Health, which includes NIH within its jurisdiction, and the Senate HELP Committee.
Animals should not suffer in distant laboratories with American money behind it. Congressional appropriators and NIH oversight lawmakers have the authority to close this loophole, strengthen accountability, and stop taxpayer dollars from supporting cruelty overseas. Click below to make a difference.
Read more articles by Matthew Russell.