WASHINGTON, D.C. — One Democrat and one Republican in Washington are teaming up in the fight against the breeding and testing of cats and dogs.
Advocates and lawmakers leading the effort say the outdated practices are not only “inhumane” but also no longer needed in today’s day and age.
“These dogs are not a test tube or a piece of lab equipment. I mean, these are beautiful, beautiful animals that have nothing but love in their hearts,” Rep. Nick Langworthy, R-N.Y.
The U.S. House may be in recess, but one bipartisan duo put their recess on “paws” to unveil legislation to end, what they call, inhumane testing practices on cats and dogs.
“We learned that they’re subjected to surgeries without anesthesia. Eyes gouged out, vocal cords removed. And when they’re no longer useful, they’re exterminated. That’s not who we are as Americans,” said Langworthy. “It’s wrong. It’s simply wrong.”
Reps. Nick Langworthy and Mark Pocan, D-Wis., have teamed up to introduce the COMPACT Act.
The bill would ban federal funding for biomedical research on live dogs and cats while strengthening animal protections, oversight and accountability.
Advocates and lawmakers alike say the COMPACT Act is the most comprehensive legislation to address the controversial practice in decades.
“This bill will go very far in making sure we don’t have more dogs that have to be rehomed and be tested on and have to go through all this,” said Pocan.
“You take away their customers, you take away their business,” said Langworthy. “I think this is going to change the game.”
Advocates like Wayne Pacelle have been fighting to re-write the rules of the game for decades.
“We have been using animals since the Depression era and not really changing much in terms of the core R&D programs,” said Pacelle, the Founder and President of Animal Wellness Action.
“What realm of society do we still behave as we did in 1930s as we do now,” asked Pacelle. “When a drug passes muster in animal tests, it fails nine of ten times in human clinical trials. What kind of world is that successful,” he added.
“Too often, we don’t stop and take a look at why we’re doing something,” said Rep. Pocan.
In August, Ridglan Farms — a controversial breeding facility in Congressman Pocan’s district — permanently ended dog breeding and research operations following widespread animal welfare and abuse allegations. Advocates say Ridglan was the second largest breeding facility in the U.S., behind Marshall BioResources in Wayne County, New York.
“Congressman Langworthy helped us on Ridglan. And I want to be helpful to him and Marshall,” said Pocan.
“I will not rest until Marshall Farms is shut down,” said Langworthy.
In a statement earlier this year, Marshall BioResources argued that ending animal research before validated alternatives are available could threaten national security and biomedical research.
Marshall BioResources responded to our request for comment in July and confirmed it raises “dogs, cats, ferrets, and minipigs for required scientific, medical, and veterinary research conducted by our customers.” The company said it “does not conduct any pharmaceutical or medical device research, including discovery- or safety-related studies.”
The company argues that ending animal research before validated alternatives are available could threaten national security and biomedical research.
“The result would not be less animal testing; instead, the required animal testing would be moved to other countries to be conducted with less oversight, less accountability, and reduced influence over research practices and quality standards. This would affect the development of vaccines, biologics, military medicine, infectious disease countermeasures, and other critical medical advancements that support pandemic preparedness and biodefense capabilities,” Marshall BioResources said in a statement.
“Breeding animals for use in medical research in the United States is highly regulated and subject to ongoing oversight. Our facilities are regularly inspected by the USDA to ensure compliance with federal animal welfare standards. Our most recent unannounced inspection in May 2026 resulted in a ‘clean report’ with no citations or observations,” the statement said.
“Humane research with dogs benefits dogs. Restricting humane breeding of dogs for research is akin to straining the drug development process, which then strains the development of new medical treatments for dogs, other pets, farm animals and wildlife,” said Eva Maciejewski, spokesperson for the National Association for Biomedical Research (NABR) and the Foundation for Biomedical Research (FBR).
On Monday, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) announced a “new wave of agency-wide actions to accelerate the shift toward human-based research methods and reduce unnecessary animal testing, advancing a coordinated effort to modernize how the federal government conducts, funds, and evaluates biomedical research.”
