Rep. Nancy Mace Secures Ban On Cruel Animal Testing In NDAA

WASHINGTON, D.C., October 29, 2025 - Congresswoman Nancy Mace (R-SC-01) announced the House-passed National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) for Fiscal Year 2026 includes her provisions to prohibit the Department of War (DoW) from conducting painful and unnecessary testing on cats and dogs and other forms of animal testing.

The legislation delivers three critical reforms:

• Temporarily Prohibits Painful Animal Testing: Permanently bans the DoW from using taxpayer dollars to conduct painful research on cats and dogs.
• Blocks Funding for Adversarial Research Facilities: Prohibits DoW funds from supporting animal research facilities in FY26 located in, or owned or controlled by, countries of concern including China, Iran, North Korea, and Russia.
• Prohibits Gain-of-Function Research:Bars the DoW from funding any gain-of-function research in FY26 on potential pandemic pathogens.

"There's no excuse for painful experiments on pets, and absolutely no reason U.S. tax dollars should flow to research facilities run by our adversaries," said Congresswoman Mace."These provisions are about protecting animals, protecting taxpayers, and protecting our values. This is a commonsense, bipartisan step toward ending unnecessary animal suffering."

Rep. Mace has consistently championed reforms to reduce animal testing across federal agencies, pushing for modern, humane alternatives to outdated practices. The inclusion of these provisions in the NDAA builds on her broader efforts to ensure the federal government pursues innovation without cruelty. This includes leading legislation such as the PAAW Act (Preventing Animal Abuse and Waste Act), Violet's Law, the TRANS MICE Act, and efforts to ban mink farming. She has also chaired high-profile hearings such as "Transgender Lab Rats and Poisoned Puppies: Oversight of Taxpayer-Funded Animal Cruelty"to hold federal agencies accountable for cruel and wasteful research practices.

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