Lawmakers push Farm Bill changes to bar overseas animal research and protect pets

During the Senate Agriculture Committee markup, members are urging the 2026 Farm Bill to forbid USDA funding for animal experiments tied to foreign adversaries and to ban painful testing on dogs and cats.

As the Senate Agriculture Committee prepares to mark up the 2026 Farm Bill, legislators are advancing provisions that would prohibit the Department of Agriculture from financing animal research tied to countries of concern, including China, Russia, Iran and North Korea. The initiative follows watchdog reports alleging that prior USDA grants funded risky gain-of-function bird-flu work with Chinese labs and lethal fox experiments in Russia.

A companion House bill already bans USDA funding for painful tests on dogs and cats, referencing alleged COVID-19 studies on felines. Sponsors also seek to adopt Violet’s Law, which would require federal labs to retire healthy animals after experiments conclude. Support for the reforms spans both parties, with backing from several Republican and Democratic senators and representatives. The changes aim to eliminate wasteful spending and address animal-rights concerns within federal research programs.