Referred to the House Committee on Energy and Commerce.
This bill (CARGO Act of 2025) amends the Public Health Service Act to bar the National Institutes of Health from awarding any support (grants, contracts, cooperative agreements, or technical assistance) for research that uses live animals unless that research physically occurs within the United States, including DC and U.S. territories. The bill cites previous NIH funding to foreign organizations, lack of NIH inspections overseas, and alleged animal mistreatment as justification for the restriction.
Progressives emphasize scientific and global health harms from a blanket ban
Relatively narrow and administrable but likely to split research institutions and animal‑welfare advocates; absence of exceptions reduces cosponsorship appeal.
This bill (CARGO Act of 2025) amends the Public Health Service Act to bar the National Institutes of Health from awarding any support (grants, contracts, cooperative agreements, or technical assistance) for research that uses live animals unless that research physically occurs within the United States, including DC and U.S. territories.
The bill cites previous NIH funding to foreign organizations, lack of NIH inspections overseas, and alleged animal mistreatment as justification for the restriction.
Substantive restriction on NIH international work with no carve‑outs; narrow drafting helps clarity but broad stakeholder pushback and absence of compromise lower chances.
How solid the drafting looks.
Progressives emphasize scientific and global health harms from a blanket ban
These are examples from the analysis, not a ranked list of the most-affected groups.
Progressives emphasize scientific and global health harms from a blanket ban
Likely to view the bill as well-intentioned on animal welfare but problematic for scientific research and global health collaboration.
Concerned it will slow research, raise costs, and impede responses to global threats where overseas animal work is necessary.
Prefers stronger oversight and international standards rather than an outright geographic ban.
Views the bill as addressing valid oversight and taxpayer-protection concerns but blunt in approach.
Supportive of stronger safeguards, yet wary of unintended scientific and cost consequences.
Likely to seek compromise amendments, phased implementation, or narrowly targeted exceptions.
Likely to favor the bill for protecting taxpayers and ensuring U.S. control over funded animal research.
Sees it as preventing outsourcing to lower-standards jurisdictions and promoting domestic jobs.
Some conservatives might still worry about federal micromanagement of science or impacts on competitiveness.
Reached or meaningfully advanced
Reached or meaningfully advanced
Still ahead
Still ahead
Still ahead
Substantive restriction on NIH international work with no carve‑outs; narrow drafting helps clarity but broad stakeholder pushback and absence of compromise lower chances.
The bill has not accumulated any surfaced votes yet.
Progressives emphasize scientific and global health harms from a blanket ban
Substantive restriction on NIH international work with no carve‑outs; narrow drafting helps clarity but broad stakeholder pushback and abse…
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