• Following WCW’s years of campaigns and lobbying, Congress has just voted to renew legislation defunding the Dept. of Veterans Affairs (VA) tests on cats, dogs, and primates and directing the VA to fully “eliminate” them by 2026.
• First enacted for 2024, this WCW-backed legislation is the first in history ordering a federal agency to completely end experimentation on certain animal species.
• The move comes as WCW fights the VA’s attempt to restart cruel and unnecessary cat experiments at its Stokes lab in Cleveland, Ohio before the 2026 deadline.

Congress has just begun to debate legislation to fund federal agencies for 2025. As in previous years, White Coat Waste Project (WCW) has been working hard on Capitol Hill to ensure these bills prioritize cutting wasteful government spending on animal tests.

The first bill being considered by Congress is one that funds the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) and we’re thrilled to report that following our advocacy and lobbying, the House of Representatives has just voted to renew legislation that cuts funding for experiments on cats, dogs, and primates and directing the VA to “eliminate” all experiments on these animals by March 2026.

First enacted for fiscal year 2024 following our work with Congress, the legislation is the first in history that orders an entire federal agency to completely end experimentation on particular animal species. WCW’s successful lobbying to cut funding for these projects dates back to 2017.

This historic effort wouldn’t be possible without the outstanding bipartisan leadership of Representatives Debbie Wasserman Schultz (D-FL) and John Carter (R-TX), who lead the VA’s funding panel, and Reps. Dina Titus (D-NV) and Brian Mast (R-FL).

Since 2016, WCW campaigns, investigations, and lobbying have exposed and ended virtually all of the VA’s wasteful spending for cruel experiments on hundreds of pets and primates.

Unfortunately, despite pressure from Congress and taxpayers and funding restrictions, Joe Biden’s VA Secretary Denis McDonough is personally trying to resurrect cruel, unnecessary, and illegal medical device tests on cats at the Stokes VA lab in Cleveland, OH before the 2026 deadline.