Accountability in Foreign Animal Research Act
- Bill Number
- S. 1435
- Origin Chamber
- Senate
- Congress
- 119th Congress, Session 1
- Policy Area
- Health
- Status
- Introduced
- Latest Action
- 2025-04-10: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions.
- Last Updated
- 2025-12-05T22:49:24Z
AI-Generated Summary
Purpose
The Accountability in Foreign Animal Research Act (S. 1435) aims to prevent the use of U.S. taxpayer funds for biomedical research involving animal testing in facilities or by entities connected to certain adversarial foreign countries. It seeks to ensure accountability in federal funding for such research, prioritizing national security and ethical concerns by restricting support to nations viewed as threats.
Key Provisions
- Prohibition on Direct or Indirect Research: The Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS) is barred from conducting or supporting biomedical research or experimentation on vertebrate animals (animals with backbones, such as mammals, birds, or fish) in any facility or through any entity located in, owned, or controlled by specified adversarial countries.
- Funding Restrictions: HHS cannot provide grants, subgrants, contracts, cooperative agreements, or other funding for such animal-testing research conducted by entities based in these countries.
- Specified Countries: The prohibition applies to the People's Republic of China (including Hong Kong), the Islamic Republic of Iran, the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (North Korea), and the Russian Federation.
- Addition of Other Countries: HHS, in consultation with the Secretary of State and Secretary of Defense, may designate additional "foreign countries of concern." Any such determination requires a detailed report to Congress within 60 days, explaining the reasoning.
- Congressional Reporting: Reports on new designations must be sent to key committees, including those on Appropriations, Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (Senate), Energy and Commerce (House), Homeland Security, and Governmental Affairs.
Significant Changes to Existing Law
This bill introduces a new, targeted ban on federal funding for animal-based biomedical research in adversarial nations, which was not previously restricted in this specific manner under current U.S. law. While existing laws (like those governing NIH grants) already include general oversight on foreign funding and national security reviews, this act adds explicit prohibitions and reporting requirements focused on animal experimentation, potentially overriding or supplementing broader research funding rules without altering domestic or allied-country research.
Potential Impacts
- On Government Agencies: HHS (particularly the National Institutes of Health) will face administrative burdens in reviewing and redirecting grants, potentially requiring new compliance processes to verify funding recipients' locations and affiliations. This could strain budgets and international collaboration efforts.
- On Citizens: U.S. taxpayers' funds will be redirected away from research in adversarial nations, possibly accelerating domestic or allied-country alternatives, but it may slow global scientific progress in biomedical fields reliant on international partnerships.
- On International Relations: The bill could heighten tensions with the listed countries by signaling U.S. distrust, limiting scientific diplomacy, and potentially prompting retaliatory restrictions on joint research. It may strengthen ties with non-adversarial nations by encouraging funding shifts toward them.
Main Stakeholders Affected
- Federal Agencies: Primarily HHS, with input from the Departments of State and Defense; also impacts congressional oversight committees.
- Researchers and Institutions: U.S.-based scientists, universities, and organizations receiving HHS grants that collaborate internationally may need to end or relocate partnerships, affecting fields like drug development and disease research.
- Animal Welfare Groups: Organizations advocating against animal testing (e.g., those pushing for alternatives like computer modeling) could benefit from reduced funding for such experiments abroad.
- Adversarial Nations and Their Entities: Labs, universities, and researchers in China, Iran, North Korea, and Russia will lose access to U.S. funding, potentially hindering their biomedical programs.
- U.S. Taxpayers and Public: Indirectly affected through changes in how public funds support global health research.
Notable Legal, Constitutional, or Political Implications
- Legal: The bill enforces funding restrictions via the executive branch's spending authority, potentially leading to legal challenges over grant denials or First Amendment issues if research collaborations are seen as protected speech. It builds on existing national security laws (e.g., those addressing foreign influence) without creating new enforcement mechanisms beyond reporting.
- Constitutional: Relies on Congress's power of the purse (Article I, Section 9) to control appropriations, which is straightforward but could raise questions about executive discretion in adding countries if not adequately justified.
- Political: As a bipartisan bill introduced amid U.S.-China and Russia tensions, it underscores national security priorities in science policy, possibly influencing broader debates on decoupling from adversarial economies. It may face opposition from the research community concerned about innovation setbacks, while appealing to those focused on animal rights and anti-adversary measures.
This summary was generated by AI and may contain inaccuracies. Refer to the official source document for the authoritative text.
Sponsor
Cosponsors (2)
Sen. Schmitt, Eric [R-MO], Sen. Scott, Rick [R-FL]
Recent Actions
- 2025-04-10: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions.
- 2025-04-10: Introduced in Senate
Bill Versions
- Accountability in Foreign Animal Research Act — issued 2025-04-10 — PDF (4 pages)