The U.S. government says it’s reducing animal testing — but newly uncovered documents tell a very different story.

Despite public promises from the Trump administration to cut back on taxpayer-funded animal experiments, the National Institutes of Health (NIH) has quietly approved millions in new funding for primate testing — including projects that euthanize monkeys after invasive surgeries, and contracts with suppliers tied to negligence and animal deaths.

In one recent case, NIH approved a $10 million grant for a kidney transplant study involving nearly 100 monkeys from Alpha Genesis — a South Carolina company under federal scrutiny after a monkey escape and the carbon monoxide deaths of 22 animals. NIH is also continuing to fund Morgan Island, where up to 4,000 rhesus monkeys are held for research.

Animal rights advocates and whistleblowers are demanding answers. Even some members of Congress, like Rep. Nancy Mace, have begun pushing for accountability and transparency.

We, the undersigned, call on:

NIH Director Jay Bhattacharya
HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.
Congressional appropriations and oversight committees

to take immediate action:

• End all new federal funding for primate experiments
• Shut down contracts with facilities like Alpha Genesis
• Close Morgan Island and transfer remaining animals to sanctuaries
• Redirect funding toward humane, non-animal research alternatives.

Animal testing on primates is not only ethically indefensible — it’s often scientifically unreliable, painfully slow, and wildly expensive. In 2025 alone, groups estimate that the U.S. will spend over $20 billion on animal research. That’s money that could be better spent on cutting-edge alternatives and patient-focused innovation.

If this administration is serious about reducing animal testing, it must act now — not just talk. Quietly approving monkey experiments while promising reform is hypocrisy, plain and simple.

The public doesn’t support this. Science doesn’t need it. And the animals can’t speak for themselves.

It’s time to end federally funded primate testing — for good.