The U.S. government funds painful experiments on cats and dogs, lawmakers protest

Good morning and welcome to the A.M. Alert!

CALIFORNIA HOUSE D’S, R’S CROSS THE AISLE TO CONDEMN HARMFUL ANIMAL TESTING

California Democratic Reps. Adam Schiff and Juan Vargas joined with Republican Reps. Ken Calvert and David Valadao to sign a letter calling on the National Institutes of Health to support alternatives to harmful animal testing.

The NIH is the single argest funder of painful research on cats and dogs, according to the letter signed by 19 members of Congress. It cited numerous media reports of painful, sometimes lethal, tests conducted on dogs and cats.

“Based on these reports and other information, we are alarmed by the pain and suffering being inflicted on dogs and cats in NIH-funded labs with taxpayer dollars,” the letter reads.

It seeks information from the NIH, including how many dogs and cats were used in such painful tests and how much taxpayer money was spent on it, what efforts are underway to reduce the reliance on such testing and what policies are in place regarding post-research dog and cat retirement.

The letter cites research from the White Coat Waste Project, a watchdog group that opposes animal experimentation.

The group’s senior vice president, Justin Goodman, said in a statement that “taxpayers have a right to know how their money is being spent and shouldn’t be forced to fund barbaric animal labs that butcher beagles and cripple kittens.”

NIH says on its website that “Animals used in federally funded research are protected by laws, regulations, and policies to ensure the smallest possible number of subjects, consideration of alternative (non-animal) approaches, and the greatest commitment to their care.”

CALIFORNIA’S SENATE DELEGATION REAFFIRMS SUPPORT FOR TWO-STATE SOLUTION

California’s two Democratic senators, Laphonza Butler and Alex Padilla on Wednesday announced that they have signed on to a U.S. Senate amendment authored by Hawaii Democratic Sen. Brian Schatz that reiterates the lawmakers’ support for a two-state solution to the conflict between Israel and Palestine.

The amendment is attached to the forthcoming national security legislation.

In a statement, Butler said that the decades-long Middle Eastern conflict can only end with a solution that provides security for Israel and a state for Palestine.

“These two objectives can coexist, and any effort to delegitimize either side moves us away from a lasting peace. Our democratic and American values point us to what we already know to be true: every human being deserves to live in safety with freedom and dignity,” she said.

Padilla followed that statement up by saying that “true peace for Israelis and Palestinians can only be achieved if security and self-determination are guaranteed for everyone in the region.”

QUOTE OF THE DAY

“If the best idea Joe Biden’s campaign could come up with was unleashing a failed governor into the early states, you know they’re in trouble. Newsom should have a great campaign swing telling his story, as long as no one asks him how things are going in California with regard to homelessness, crime, affordability, population decline, U-Haul rentals, student test scores, gas prices, unemployment, budget deficits, or everyone’s favorite burger joint. On second thought, maybe he should just pose for pictures.”

- California GOP Chairwoman Jessica Millan Patterson, in a statement discussing Newsom’s campaign swing through South Carolina and Nevada.

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