CARGO Act of 2025

Summary#

This bill, called the CARGO Act of 2025, changes the Public Health Service Act so the National Institutes of Health (NIH) cannot award any support (grants, contracts, cooperative agreements, or technical assistance) for activities or programs that use live animals for research unless the research takes place in the United States. The bill defines "United States" to include the States, the District of Columbia, and U.S. territories and possessions. The bill text includes findings that from fiscal years 2011–2021 NIH provided about $2.2 billion to foreign organizations for animal research, that NIH does not inspect foreign organizations and relies on self-reported animal welfare information, and that this lack of oversight has led to mistreatment of animals in research outside the United States.

What it means for you#

• If you are a researcher or organization located outside the United States that uses live animals in research, NIH support would be prohibited under this bill.
• If you are a researcher or organization in the United States (including DC and U.S. territories) that uses live animals in research, the bill does not prohibit NIH support for research conducted within the United States.
• If you are an NIH applicant or administrator, the law would limit funding for animal research to projects that occur within the United States.

Expenses#

No publicly available information.

Proponents' View#

The bill’s findings say NIH gave about $2.2 billion to foreign organizations for animal research from 2011 to 2021, that NIH does not perform inspections of foreign organizations and relies on self-reported animal welfare information, and that this creates a risk of misrepresentation and has led to mistreatment of animals. Supporters use these findings to justify restricting NIH-funded animal research to projects that occur in the United States.

Opponents' View#

No publicly available information.