After numerous lawmakers criticized the Pentagon for allowing painful experiments on dogs, an animal-testing watchdog group claimed the Defense Department is just the latest agency to be revealed. Departments have been pressured to cease such practices one after the other. A month after Fox News initially reported on the issue, Representatives Young Kim, R-Calif., and Donald Davis, D-N.C., along with over two dozen House members, demanded a detailed account of how the Pentagon utilized taxpayer money in this manner.
The White Coat Waste Project (WCW), an organization dedicated to ending taxpayer-funded animal experimentation, expressed hope that the recent attention and a provision in the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) will lead to the Pentagon becoming the second known federal agency to stop painful animal testing. Justin Goodman, WCW’s vice president, mentioned that in addition to the testing highlighted in June, the Pentagon has also been reportedly “electroshocking” cats to study erectile dysfunction.
House lawmakers inserted an amendment into the 2025 NDAA to ban the Pentagon from continuing biomedical pet testing, thanks to the exposure of this testing. Rep. Jared Moskowitz, D-Fla., a member of the Congressional Dog Caucus, drafted the particular amendment. The letter addressed to Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin seeks information on the timeline, number of dogs experimented on, USDA “pain category” of tests, and an explanation of the testing in relation to the FDA’s lack of requirement for canine testing for human drugs.
The letter also requested data on current grants, contracts, and expenditures related to testing within the last five years. Goodman noted that the defense contract for the beagle testing revealed in June concluded on July 31. The letter further cited a successful effort in the NDAA to defund all DOD use of cat and dog testing.
Kim, the lead signatory on the letter, pointed out that the Pentagon spent almost $1 million on beagle testing and called the practice “inhumane and cruel.” She emphasized the necessity to hold the administration accountable, especially considering the violation of the DOD’s policy against using dogs and cats for medical training and research. Davis echoed the sentiment that public funds should not be utilized for such testing, and Congress must intervene to halt these practices.
Various lawmakers, including Rep. Nicole Malliotakis, R-N.Y., Rep. Michael Lawler, Rep. Troy Nehls, and Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick, condemned the use of taxpayer funds for animal experimentation, labeling it as torture and abuse. They called for immediate action to end such practices and emphasized the need to explore alternative, non-animal testing methods.
A Pentagon spokesperson responded to the congressional correspondence by stating that the agency will address the authors directly and refrained from commenting on proposed legislation. The spokesperson emphasized that transparency and accountability are essential in such matters.
In a separate incident involving the Veterans Affairs Department, the VA has been directed by Congress to suspend active testing on cats, dogs, or primates by 2026. This decision followed a 2022 letter from Veterans Affairs Secretary Denis McDonough to Sen. Martin Heinrich, D-N.M., regarding feline experimentation for the benefit of stroke survivors and amputees. A spokesperson for the VA clarified that Secretary McDonough’s approval of a study does not equate to advocating for ongoing animal testing and highlighted efforts to phase out such research involving sensitive species.
Rep. Young Kim expressed concerns about the prevalence of animal testing across federal agencies and emphasized the importance of prioritizing technological innovation over animal experimentation. The push to end such practices reflects a growing awareness and commitment to ethical treatment of animals in scientific research.
