Sponsors (27)
The bill trades increased domestic oversight, transparency, and application of U.S. animal welfare standards for NIH-funded animal research against significant disruption to international collaborations, potential slowing of scientific progress where foreign expertise or facilities are needed, and higher costs for taxpayers and institutions.
Researchers, hospitals, and patients: NIH-funded live-animal studies will be performed within the United States (including territories), increasing domestic oversight and the applicability of U.S. animal welfare and compliance standards.
Researchers in U.S. territories: Clarifying that 'United States' includes territories ensures investigators in territories can receive NIH support for animal research under the same statutory rules.
Taxpayers and policymakers: Public disclosure that NIH-funded foreign animal research totaled about $2.2 billion (FY2011–FY2021) and identification of inspection gaps gives policymakers and the public better information to demand accountability and reform.
U.S. and foreign research institutions and collaborators: Banning NIH funding for live-animal studies conducted outside the U.S. will cut off funding for international projects and disrupt ongoing collaborations.
Researchers, hospitals, and patients: Limiting animal research to domestic sites may slow scientific and medical progress when unique facilities, species, or expertise exist abroad that are critical to certain studies.
Taxpayers and research institutions: Replacing lower-cost foreign services with expanded domestic capacity and imposing new monitoring/compliance requirements could raise costs for taxpayers and institutions.
Based on analysis of 3 sections of legislative text.
Prohibits NIH support for any research using live animals unless the animal research is conducted within the U.S. or its territories.
Prohibits the National Institutes of Health (NIH) from awarding grants, contracts, cooperative agreements, or technical assistance for research that uses live animals unless the research is conducted within the United States, its states, the District of Columbia, or U.S. territories and possessions. It also updates cross-references in existing law to reflect the new prohibition. The change affects NIH-funded research programs and partner organizations that currently conduct animal-based research overseas, and shifts compliance and oversight responsibilities by limiting NIH-supported animal work to U.S. locations only.
Introduced February 6, 2025 by Troy E. Nehls · Last progress February 6, 2025