The federal government has officially directed the Department of Veterans Affairs to eliminate all dog and cat experiments by 2026. That mandate exists. What also exists, running in direct contradiction to it, is more than $225 million in newly approved National Institutes of Health grants funding the very same kind of testing.

What the NIH Has Been Approving

An investigation by the White Coat Waste Project identified over $225 million in NIH grants approved for experiments on dogs and cats — approved under an administration that publicly championed reducing animal testing as part of its health platform. yourNEWS confirmed the findings, noting the approvals came despite a broader federal push toward non-animal research alternatives.

Among the most recent cases: NIH funding directed to Temple University for experiments in which cats have their spines severed. The White Coat Waste Project documented this in a November 2026 investigation. These are not legacy grants carried over from prior administrations. They are new approvals.

A Pattern That Predates the Current Surge

This isn't an isolated development. The Guardian reported in December 2025 that NIH was funding new cat experiments even as it had pledged to phase them out — a gap between stated policy and actual spending that watchdogs flagged well before the $225 million figure came to light.

One particularly stark example involved a researcher previously associated with VA dog experiments — experiments that faced scrutiny and termination — who sought new NIH funding to continue similar work. According to the White Coat Waste Project, that grant was ultimately blocked after public pressure. It was a narrow outcome, and one that depended entirely on outside intervention rather than internal oversight.

Congress Is Responding

Legislation is now on the table. The Companion Animal Protection Against Cruel Testing Act, introduced in the House in September 2026 by Representative Nicholas Langworthy, would prohibit federal funding for invasive experiments on dogs and cats entirely. The bill represents a direct legislative response to the documented disconnect between policy commitments and actual NIH grant activity.

Stars and Stripes covered the broader veterans policy context, noting that the VA's mandate to end dog experiments by 2026 has bipartisan support — making NIH's continued funding of equivalent research all the more difficult to reconcile.

Taxpayer Dollars, Real Animals, Real Consequences

Every grant in this $225 million pool is funded by American taxpayers. The animals involved are dogs and cats — the same species that share millions of American homes. The federal government has already determined, through the VA mandate, that this category of testing is unnecessary enough to eliminate. NIH's continued investment in it represents an active policy contradiction, not an oversight.

The Animal Rescue Site is calling on the NIH Director to immediately freeze and rescind newly approved grants funding dog and cat experiments, in line with the existing federal mandate. Add your name to the petition and hold NIH accountable.

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