WASHINGTON, D.C. –
Congresswoman Nicole Malliotakis (NY-11) and Rep. Aaron Bean (FL-04) introduced the Safeguard Pets, Animals, and Research Ethics (SPARE) Act, legislation designed to end federal animal testing, redirect funding toward humane research alternatives, and ensure the adoption or sanctuary placement of animals previously used in experiments.
Specifically, this legislation would ban animal testing in federal labs, establish a three-year phase-out, rehabilitate and re-home former lab animals, saving taxpayer dollars while enhancing research outcomes, and ensuring accountability and transparency. American taxpayers spend an estimated $20 billion funding experiments here in the US and overseas including in countries with subpar safety conditions in China, Russia, and Iran.
“I am proud to work alongside Congressman Aaron Bean to end the cruel and unnecessary spending on animal experiments that have wasted billions of tax dollars and inhumanely kept hundreds of thousands of innocent animals in captivity to be tortured and sentenced to painful death,” said Congresswoman Malliotakis. “From administering transgender hormone therapy to monkeys to infesting beagles with fleas and drilling into cats’ skulls for so-called ‘research purposes,’ the American taxpayer would be outraged to learn how their money has been spent. As Co-Chair of the Congressional Animal Protection Caucus and the Cosmetics Caucus, I am committed to advancing our legislation, promoting humane research alternatives, and ensuring taxpayer dollars are spent responsibly”.
“What Fauci did to beagles and other animals is disgusting. The federal government needs to get out of the business of torturing Snoopy. I am proud to join Congresswoman Malliotakis in introducing the SPARE Act” said Congressman Bean.
According to a press release by Congresswoman Malliotakis, “the legislation prohibits biomedical, cosmetic, toxicity, and psychological testing on animals in federally funded labs and institutions, ending taxpayer-funded animal experiments across agencies such as the National Institutes of Health, the U.S Food and Drug Administration, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Department of Defense, Department of Veterans Affairs, and the National Aeronautics and Space Administration. To support this transition, it provides funding for research institutions to develop and implement non-animal alternatives such as organ-on-chip technology, human-cell-based models, and AI-driven computational research”.
The bill includes three key exemptions.
- Clinical Veterinary Research – Limited to naturally occurring diseases or injuries in dogs or cats, studied for the direct benefit of those animals. This ensures veterinarians can continue developing better treatments and care protocols in real-world clinical settings.
- Service or Military Animals – Exempts physical exams, training programs, and studies related to service or military animals. This allows the Department of Defense, law enforcement, and other agencies to continue critical animal-related tasks without violating the bill.
- Infectious Disease & National Security Projects – Subject to annual congressional approval. Research teams must demonstrate efforts to minimize animal use and adopt alternatives whenever feasible. This exemption acknowledges that certain urgent public health or national security needs may still require some animal research while maintaining strong oversight.
Additionally, it ensures healthy, viable animals used in federal research are adopted out or placed in sanctuaries, following independent veterinary evaluations. Modeled after Violet’s Law, the bill expands adoption partnerships with rescues, sanctuaries, and shelters to provide safe, permanent homes for former lab animals.
