CARGO Act of 2025

The CARGO Act of 2025 would amend the Public Health Service Act to bar the National Institutes of Health (NIH) from providing any funding for activities or programs that use live animals in research unless the research is conducted inside the United States. The bill introduces a new requirement that the NIH only fund live-animal research carried out domestically (including U.S. territories and possessions). It also asserts findings that substantial NIH funding has gone to foreign organizations for animal research and that such funding comes with weaker oversight, potentially allowing mistreatment of animals. In addition to creating the funding prohibition, the bill restructures the relevant statutory subsections to accommodate the new rule. In short, under this bill NIH would no longer support live-animal research conducted outside the United States, and researchers working with NIH funds would need to perform such work within U.S. facilities (or move away from live-animal methods if conducted abroad). The bill’s sponsors frame this as a reform to protect animal welfare and improve oversight, while potential consequences include shifts in international collaborations and research practices.