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A major development in U.S. animal welfare policy has drawn nationwide attention after a joint investigation revealed nearly $28 million in federal animal testing grants were quietly canceled in late 2025 and early 2026 🧪🐾 According to reporting by CBS News and the Post and Courier, the Trump administration identified and cut the funding over a nine-month period, impacting agencies such as the National Institutes of Health and the Food and Drug Administration. The administration framed the move as a watershed moment, signaling a shift away from live animal testing involving dogs and monkeys and toward modern alternatives like AI-driven research models, lab-grown organoids, and organ-on-a-chip technology. Why it matters is the broader impact these decisions have had across federal research. The grant cancellations were part of a wider effort that included defunding Pentagon experiments on dogs and cats, closing the NIH’s final in-house beagle testing lab, and directing the CDC to phase out remaining primate research. Many of these changes were driven under the Make America Healthy Again initiative, led by Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., with the stated goal of winding down animal testing in government labs. The response has been sharply divided. Animal welfare organizations and taxpayer advocates have widely praised the moves as meaningful progress, arguing they represent ethical reform and more efficient use of public funds. At the same time, some scientists have voiced concern that the transition may be happening too quickly, warning that abrupt cuts could slow research into complex diseases where alternatives are still developing. The debate continues, but the shift marks an important moment in the evolving conversation around science, ethics, and how research is conducted in the United States. #News #USPolitics #fblifestyle