Representative Mace (R-SC-01) on Thursday introduced the bipartisan Preventing Animal Abuse and Waste Act (PAAW Act), to amend the Public Health Service Act and prohibit funding for painful experiments on thousands of dogs and cats each year, including tests in which pain relief is completely withheld.
“As animal lovers, we’ve been disturbed to learn the scale and scope of barbaric and unnecessary dog and cat experiments funded by the National Institutes of Health (NIH),” said the Office of Rep. Mace. “Americans across the political spectrum have been horrified to learn their tax dollars are being used to subsidize cruelty to thousands of puppies and kittens in labs every year. The PAAW Act will ensure taxpayers’ hard-earned money is not wasted on outdated and cruel experiments on pets.”
The PAAW Act specifically prohibits the NIH from conducting or supporting any research that causes significant pain and distress to dogs and cats. It also requires reports to Congress by the NIH and Government Accountability Office detailing NIH-funded dog and cat experiments, their cost, and assessments of NIH efforts to phase them out.
Rep. Jared Moscowitz (D-FL-23) is the co-lead, and the bill is copsonsored by Rep. Nicole Malliotakis (R-NY-11), Rep. Troy Nehls (R-TX-22), Rep. Marcy Kaptur (D-OH-09), Rep. Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-Del. DC), Rep. Buddy Carter (R-GA-01), and Rep. Dina Titus (D-NV-01). The bill is also supported by the White Coat Waste Project, which has led investigations into NIH’s dog and cat testing and awarded Rep. Mace for her work to end government animal experiments.
Additionally, the bill calls for a comprehensive study by the Government Accountability Office (GAO) to assess NIH's efforts in reducing and replacing the use of dogs and cats in research. The study will evaluate the effectiveness of existing policies and initiatives, compare NIH's efforts with other federal agencies, and provide recommendations for improvement.
