Rep. Nancy Mace (R-NC) is moving to shut down the pipeline of dogs bred and sold for laboratory experimentation, targeting a practice many Americans view as both cruel and unnecessary.
According to Breitbart News, Mace is introducing the Prohibiting Unethical Procedures on Pets in Science (PUPPS) Act, a bill designed to bar companies such as Oak Hill Genetics from breeding or selling dogs for research purposes. The measure builds on her prior efforts to protect animals used in taxpayer-funded experiments and reflects a broader conservative push to rein in what critics see as an unaccountable and inhumane research bureaucracy.
The legislations core provision is sweeping in scope, declaring, It shall be unlawful for any person, in or affecting commerce (1) to breed a dog for research purposes; (2) to engage in commercial distribution of a dog for research purposes; (3) to acquire, receive, or use for research purposes a dog that such person knows, or has reason to know, was bred for such purposes; or (4) to attempt to take any action specified in paragraphs (1) through (3). By targeting both breeders and end users, the bill seeks to dismantle the commercial supply chain that funnels dogs into government-backed laboratories.
The enforcement mechanism is equally explicit, directing that The Secretary may not issue or renew a license under section 3, or accept a registration under section 6, that authorizes an activity prohibited under subsection (a), and shall suspend or revoke the license or registration of any person that violates subsection (a), while imposing a civil penalty of not more than $10,000 for each dog with respect to which such violation occurs. For repeat offenders, the legislation escalates the punishment, stating, In the case of a repeated violation of subsection (a) by a person, such person may be assessed a civil penalty of not more than $40,000 for each dog with respect to which such violation occurs.
To prevent regulators from stacking endless fines on a single case, the bill clarifies, A continuing violation with respect to the same dog shall not constitute more than one offense, and further limits the governments reach by capping total penalties: Secretary may not assess civil penalties under this subsection in an aggregate amount exceeding $500,000 with respect to violations of this section arising from a single inspection, investigation, or complaint. In addition to restricting breeding and distribution, the measure bars those in possession of research dogs from euthanizing them, instead obligating them to offer the animals for adoption to private individuals or rescue organizations.
Mace framed the issue in moral and cultural terms that resonate with many conservative voters who see pets as part of the family, not raw material for federal labs. Dogs arent lab equipment. Theyre family, she said in a statement obtained by Breitbart News, adding, Breeding puppies into a life of pain just to stock government research labs isnt science. Its barbaric.
She emphasized that the PUPPS Act is a continuation of her efforts to expose and dismantle abusive, taxpayer-funded animal testing tied to figures like Dr. Anthony Fauci and agencies such as the National Institutes of Health. Weve already taken on Faucis taxpayer-funded dog experiments and fought to get animals out of federal labs and into loving homes. Now were shutting down the pipeline for good, she said, praising the watchdog group that helped uncover the abuses: Thanks to White Coat Waste for leading the charge alongside us in this fight. This bill ends the breeding of dogs for research, cuts off the supply to these labs, and gives dogs already trapped behind those walls a second chance through adoption instead of euthanasia. Mans best friend belongs in a loving home, not a lab cage.
The timing of the bill coincides with new findings from the White Coat Waste Project (WCW), which revealed that Oak Hill Genetics shipped more than 1,500 dogs to 44 laboratories nationwide over an 18?month span from January 1, 2025, to June 30, 2026. Some of those facilities, WCW reported, continued to receive NIH funding, with experiments on the dogs including severed nerves, induced heart failure, and other invasive procedures that critics argue have little justification in an era of advanced alternative testing methods.
WCWs founder, Anthony Bellotti, underscored the groups role in exposing what became known as BeagleGate and in rallying conservatives against federally funded animal testing. White Coat Waste first uncovered Dr. Faucis BeagleGate scandal and led conservatives to the fight against taxpayer-funded animal testing. Thats why White Coat Waste is proud to support Rep. Maces PUPPS Act to stop the despicable dog breeding operations weve exposed that supply victims to taxpayer-funded labs and to ensure more survivors go from lab dogs to lap dogs, Bellotti said.
For Bellotti, the issue is personal as well as political, reflecting a broader conservative critique of wasteful and morally questionable federal spending. He noted, The PUPPS Act also hits close to home for me: Ive adopted three pets bred in Fauci-funded labs and rescued by White Coat Waste. The solution is simple: Stop the money. Stop the madness!
Maces latest proposal follows her reintroduction last year of Violets Law, which requires federal laboratories to allow animals to be retired and adopted out once testing ends. Together, Violets Law and the PUPPS Act signal a growing effort on the right to pair fiscal restraint with humane treatment of animals, challenging the entrenched interests of federally funded research institutions and insisting that mans best friend should not be sacrificed on the altar of bureaucratic science.
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