• Monica Bertagnolli, the frontrunner to take over as NIH Director, is an NIH-funded animal experimenter who burned animals’ skin off in her studies
• WCW has obtained documents showing that Bertagnolli supports funding for animal labs in China, dangerous gain-of-function experiments and backs bad NIH policies that exempt foreign animal labs from oversight and allow wasteful and cruel testing on puppies.
• Bertagnolli’s nomination is advancing despite bipartisan opposition from lawmakers including Senators Rand Paul and Bernie Sanders

The National Institutes of Health’s (NIH) Francis Collins and Anthony Fauci, the bureaucrats behind the reckless funding for gain-of-function experiments at the Wuhan animal lab and the subsequent cover-up, have both left their positions in disgrace.

Unfortunately, we uncovered that Monica Bertagnolli, the leading candidate to replace Collins at the helm of the NIH and its $48 billion taxpayer-funded budget, is another entrenched white coat who tortures animals in experiments and plans to repeat the mistakes of her predecessor.

White Coat Waste Project (WCW) has obtained Bertagnolli’s written responses to questions asked by Senator Rand Paul (R-KY) following a recent senate hearing on her nomination. See her full responses below.

Among other troubling responses to Sen. Paul’s questions (which referenced WCW’s investigation of the NIH’s illegal foreign animal lab loophole, NIH funding for animal labs in China and Beaglegate), Bertagnolli states that she:

       supports taxpayer funding for unaccountable animal labs in China and other foreign countries

     supports taxpayer funding for treacherous gain-of-function experiments with potential pandemic pathogens

      supports bad NIH policies that exempt foreign animal labs from any oversight

      supports bad NIH policies that allow wasteful spending on cruel and unnecessary dog tests

Is this how you want your money spent?

It actually gets worse. Bertagnolli is also an animal experimenter whose taxpayer-funded studies include literally burning animals’ skin off.

Unfortunately, Bertagnolli’s nomination has been advanced by the Senate committee with jurisdiction over the NIH, despite bipartisan objections from Sen. Paul and Sens. Bernie Sanders (D-VT), Mike Braun (R-IN), Tommy Tuberville (R-AL), Markwayne Mullin (R-OK), and Ted Budd (D-NC). But the full Senate has yet to schedule a vote.

The NIH needs a leader that won’t tolerate reckless spending on widely-opposed animal testing programs that waste billions of tax dollars, butcher beagles, enrich our enemies, and can prompt pandemics. But Bertagnolli is another entrenched NIH white coat who tortures animals and who won’t even commit to commonsense reforms like ending treacherous gain-of-function experiments, defunding animal labs in China, ensuring animal labs in China and Russia have decent oversight or preventing unnecessary puppy abuse.

Taxpayers deserve better.