A bipartisan coalition of 20 U.S. House lawmakers is urging the National Institutes of Health (NIH) to dramatically shift federal funds away from experiments on monkeys and toward modern, animal-free testing methods. The push, aligned with Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy, Jr.’s announced plan to wind down animal testing, cites the high cost and scientific limitations of primate research, according to a letter released Friday.
Led by Rep. Diana Harshbarger (R-Tenn.) and Rep. Nanette Barragán (D-Calif.), the group of 10 Republicans and 10 Democrats delivered a clear message to NIH Director Dr. Jay Bhattacharya: it’s time to reevaluate the millions spent annually on National Primate Research Centers (NPRCs). This isn’t just an ethical plea; it’s a fiscal and scientific argument grounded in what the lawmakers call a “broad recognition” that primate tests often fail to predict human outcomes.
Why does this bipartisan move matter now? The letter didn’t appear in a vacuum. It follows concrete actions from other federal agencies. The lawmakers point to the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), which has already announced plans to replace animal testing for certain drugs and make such testing the exception within three to five years. Furthermore, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is reportedly preparing to shut down its own in-house primate research program, stated the lawmakers’ letter, due to high costs and scientific concerns.
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“Pouring hundreds of millions of finite research dollars into primate research centers no longer makes scientific, ethical, or fiscal sense,” said Wayne Pacelle, president of the Center for a Humane Economy and Animal Wellness Action, in a statement supporting the letter. The sentiment echoes a growing consensus that the old model is broken. With clinical failure rates exceeding 90 percent in some disease areas, sticking with outdated methods isn’t just cruel—it’s slowing down medical progress.
The lawmakers proposed three specific reforms. First, they want NIH to reassess funding for the seven National Primate Research Centers, aligning it with the FDA’s phaseout goals. Second, they urge the agency to give grant-making preference to proposals using cutting-edge, animal-free New Approach Methodologies (NAMs), which include tools like artificial intelligence and advanced human cell models. Finally, they ask NIH to clarify that these NAMs are intended to fully replace animal use, not just complement it, thereby reaffirming the core “replacement” goal of the long-standing 3Rs (Replace, Reduce, Refine) principles.
“NIH’s own actions make clear what scientists, patients and taxpayers have known for years: we can achieve better, faster, and more ethical results by investing in modern, human-relevant research,” said lead author Rep. Diana Harshbarger. Her Democratic co-lead, Rep. Nanette Barragán, added, “The NIH should strengthen its commitment to humane scientific research that will accelerate medical innovation.”
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The political momentum is undeniable. This House letter follows the U.S. Senate’s unanimous passage of the FDA Modernization Act 3.0 last week, a law that explicitly encourages the use of these alternative methods. The issue also has a prominent champion in the executive branch. In a recent interview, HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. highlighted the scale of the system, noting roughly 100,000 monkeys are currently in U.S. labs, with another 20,000 imported annually. He described a “self-sustaining” inertia driven by profit incentives, a system the lawmakers now aim to disrupt.
Advocates see the letter as a critical signal. “Congress is urging NIH to align its spending with modern science — and to responsibly wind down outdated programs that don’t serve patients or public health,” said Tamara Drake, director of research at the Center for a Humane Economy. The lawmakers have requested a formal response from NIH within 60 days, setting the stage for a potential major shift in how American tax dollars fuel the future of medical discovery.
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