Congress bans NIH funding for animal research abroad, redirecting billions to U.S. labs
H.R. 1085 — CARGO Act of 2025 · Filed by Troy Nehls (R-TX) · 29 cosponsors · Introduced Feb 6, 2025 · Referred to committee
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What it does
This bill prohibits the National Institutes of Health from funding animal research conducted outside the United States. It cites $2.2 billion in NIH funding to foreign organizations for animal research from 2011–2021 and argues that foreign organizations self-report animal welfare without NIH inspection, creating risk of mistreatment. The bill redirects all future NIH animal-research funding to domestic U.S. locations only.
Why we flagged it
The bill's operative mechanism is a geographic restriction on NIH funding for animal research—a domestic-only requirement. It is framed as animal-welfare protection but functions as a funding-location mandate that redirects research spending from foreign to U.S. institutions.
What the text implies
- Domestic research institutions will face increased demand and may raise fees; NIH's animal-research budget may need to expand to maintain research volume at higher U.S. labor and facility costs.
- Foreign research collaborations involving animals will cease or be restructured; this may reduce U.S. participation in international research consortia and slow comparative studies.
The full analysis lists 4 implications of this text.
Who stands to gain
U.S. research institutions (universities, medical centers, contract research organizations); U.S. laboratory animal suppliers and facility operators