White Coat Waste Project is proud to announce the recipients of its 3rd annual “Congressional Waste Warrior” awards. The award recognizes Members of Congress who have demonstrated outstanding leadership to expose and stop $15 billion in wasteful and unnecessary taxpayer-funded animal experiments, an effort supported by a majority of Americans. Below are our 2018 honorees, who will receive their awards during private presentations.

SENATE
Senator Pat Toomey (R-PA)

• Introduced a bipartisan Farm Bill amendment encouraging the USDA to adopt out kittens that are no longer needed in experiments

Senator Jeff Merkley (D-OR)

• Introduced the KITTEN Act to end the USDA’s cruel and wasteful experiments on cats
• As the top Democrat on the Senate’s Agriculture Appropriations subcommittee, secured language in the 2019 USDA spending bill urging it to end its kitten experiments and adopt out the cats

Senator Cory Booker (D-NJ)

• Helped secure language in the 2019 USDA spending bill urging it to end its kitten experiments and adopt out the cats
• Introduced legislation to curb wasteful taxpayer-funded primate experimentation

LIFETIME ACHIEVEMENT: Senator John McCain (R-AZ)
Sen. McCain was a true maverick who spent his career fighting wasteful taxpayer-funded animal experiments and inspired the founding of WCW.  Highlights from his remarkable time in Congress include:

• 2017: Worked with WCW to secure a government audit (ongoing) of federal funding transparency violations at Ivy League schools receiving billions in tax dollars for wasteful animal tests
• 2010: Exposed wasteful taxpayer-funded cocaine addiction tests on monkeys that were funded by a stimulus grant designed to create jobs
• 2000: Helped pass the ICCVAM Authorization Act to create a government-wide program to facilitate the use of high-tech alternatives to expensive and wasteful animal tests
• 1985: Cosponsored legislation to retire monkeys from an abusive taxpayer-funded experimentation lab

HOUSE (Listed alphabetically)

Rep. Rick Allen (R-GA)

• Cosponsored the bipartisan PUPPERS Act to end painful and wasteful dog experiments at the VA and helped enact legislation de-funding and drastically restricting the practice.
• Cosponsored the bipartisan KITTEN Act to end the USDA’s cruel and wasteful kitten experiments

Rep. Mike Bishop (R-MI)

• Introduced the bipartisan KITTEN Act to end the USDA’s cruel and wasteful kitten experiments
• Co-signed a letter urging eight federal agencies to retire dogs, cats and primates no longer needed in experiments
• Cosponsored the bipartisan PUPPERS Act to end painful and wasteful dog experiments at the VA and helped enact legislation de-funding and drastically restricting the practice.
• Co-signed letter urging the House Appropriations committee to defund dog experiments at the VA
• Helped introduce the bipartisan FACT Act to improve oversight of the federal program charged with promoting the use of superior, cost-effective alternatives to wasteful animal tests

Rep. Steve Cohen (D-TN)

• Cosponsored the bipartisan PUPPERS Act to end painful and wasteful dog experiments at the VA and helped enact legislation de-funding and drastically restricting the practice.
• Cosponsored the bipartisan KITTEN Act to end the USDA’s cruel and wasteful kitten experiments
• Co-led bipartisan letter to the Environmental Protection Agency probing its wasteful animal testing
• Co-signed letter urging the House Appropriations committee to defund dog experiments at the VA

Rep. Brett Guthrie (R-KY)

Kentucky Congressman Brett Guthrie is among the recipients for the 2018 Congressional Waste Warrior award. https://t.co/H9tvLPvFNE

— Eyewitness News (@WEHTWTVWlocal) January 1, 2019

• Cosponsored the bipartisan KITTEN Act to end the USDA’s cruel and wasteful kitten experiments
• Cosponsored the bipartisan PUPPERS Act to end painful and wasteful dog experiments at the VA and helped enact legislation de-funding and drastically restricting the practice.

Rep. Walter Jones (R-NC)

• Cosponsored the bipartisan PUPPERS Act to end painful and wasteful dog experiments at the VA and helped enact legislation de-funding and drastically restricting the practice.
• Cosponsored the bipartisan KITTEN Act to end the USDA’s cruel and wasteful kitten experiments
• Co-signed letter urging the House Appropriations committee to defund dog experiments at the VA

Rep. Marcy Kaptur (D-OH)

Honored to be named a Congressional Waste Warrior by the @WhiteCoatWaste Project and am proud to advance animal welfare. pic.twitter.com/ewXt7vzlbV

— Marcy Kaptur (@RepMarcyKaptur) January 24, 2019

• Cosponsored the bipartisan KITTEN Act to end the USDA’s cruel and wasteful kitten experiments
• Co-signed a letter urging eight federal agencies to retire dogs, cats and primates no longer needed in experiments
• Voted for and helped enact legislation de-funding and drastically restricting dog experimentation at the VA.

Rep. Ann Kuster (D-NH)

• Cosponsored the bipartisan PUPPERS Act to end painful and wasteful dog experiments at the VA and helped enact legislation de-funding and drastically restricting the practice.
• Cosponsored the bipartisan KITTEN Act to end the USDA’s cruel and wasteful kitten experiments
• Co-signed letter urging the House Appropriations committee to defund dog experiments at the VA

Rep. Barbara Lee (D-CA)

• Cosponsored the bipartisan PUPPERS Act to end painful and wasteful dog experiments at the VA and helped enact legislation de-funding and drastically restricting the practice.
• Cosponsored the bipartisan KITTEN Act to end the USDA’s cruel and wasteful kitten experiments
• Cosponsored the bipartisan FACT Act to improve oversight of the federal program charged with promoting the use of superior, cost-effective alternatives to wasteful government animal tests

Rep. Betty McCollum (D-MN)

• Cosponsored the bipartisan PUPPERS Act to end painful and wasteful dog experiments at the VA and helped enact legislation de-funding and drastically restricting the practice.
• Cosponsored the bipartisan KITTEN Act to end the USDA’s cruel and wasteful kitten experiments
• Helped introduce the bipartisan FACT Act to improve oversight of the federal program charged with promoting the use of superior, cost-effective alternatives to wasteful animal tests
• As the top Democrat on the EPA’s Appropriations subcommittee, secured language in the FY19 EPA spending bill urging it to reduce in-house animal testing

Rep. Martha McSally (R-AZ)

• Cosponsored the bipartisan PUPPERS Act to end painful and wasteful dog experiments at the VA and helped enact legislation de-funding and drastically restricting the practice.
• Cosponsored the bipartisan FACT Act to improve oversight of the federal program charged with promoting the use of superior, cost-effective alternatives to wasteful government animal tests

Rep. Jimmy Panetta (D-CA)

• Introduced the bipartisan KITTEN Act to end the USDA’s cruel and wasteful kitten experiments
• Cosponsored the bipartisan FACT Act to improve oversight of the federal program charged with promoting the use of superior, cost-effective alternatives to wasteful government animal tests
• Co-signed a letter urging eight federal agencies to retire dogs, cats and primates no longer needed in experiments

Rep. Lee Zeldin (R-NY)

• Cosponsored the bipartisan PUPPERS Act to end painful and wasteful dog experiments at the VA and helped enact legislation de-funding and drastically restricting the practice.
• As an Army veteran and Reservist, co-authored New York Daily News op-ed calling for an end to the VA’s dog testing

If you haven’t yet, please urge your Members of Congress to join these leader’s efforts to end wasteful taxpayer-funded animal experiments.