In a major win for animal welfare, the U.S. Navy has banned all testing on cats and dogs following a high-profile campaign led by the watchdog organization White Coat Waste Project (WCW) and investigative journalist Laura Loomer.
The decision will save countless animals from cruel and unnecessary tests, while also reducing wasteful government spending.
Secretary of the Navy John C. Phelan announced the policy change in a post to X on Tuesday evening.
“Today, it gives me great pleasure to terminate all Department of the Navy’s testing on cats and dogs, ending these inhumane practices and saving taxpayer dollars. This is long overdue,” Phelan wrote.
Today it gives me great pleasure to terminate all Department of the Navy’s testing on cats and dogs, ending these inhumane practices and saving taxpayer dollars. This is long overdue. I commend @POTUS, @SecDef and @DOGE for bringing this to light. pic.twitter.com/joKRfuNbF4
— Secretary of the Navy John C. Phelan (@SECNAV) May 27, 2025
The campaign to end the torturous animal tests began with an investigation by White Coat Waste, an organization dedicated to ending taxpayer-funded animal testing.
Through Freedom of Information Act requests, the organization uncovered a $10 million DoD contract funded through the Navy’s Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) for grotesque experiments on cats at the University of Pittsburgh. These sick tests involved inserting marbles and balloons into the rectums of cats and subjecting them to electroshock treatments to study constipation and erectile dysfunction.
BREAKING VICTORY!
Following a WCW campaign & advocacy from @LauraLoomer & @elonmusk, the @USNavy has banned all dog & cat testing!
Thank you @SECNAV @SecDef @POTUS & @DOGE for your outstanding leadership that will save pets & tax dollars! https://t.co/xm2t6IZeJ9
— White Coat Waste (@WhiteCoatWaste) May 28, 2025
The contract was originally set to expire in May 2025, but had been quietly extended to 2027.
Soon, the organization’s investigation caught the attention of Loomer, an outspoken animal lover who has rescued dogs from China.
In exclusive segments on her show Loomer Unleashed with WCW Vice President Justin Goodman, she highlighted the organization’s FOIA discoveries, describing the tests as “horrifically disturbing” and calling for immediate action from the DoD.
President @realDonaldTrump’s own Department of Defense just RENEWED a $10 million contract to shove marbles into cats’ rectums and electroshock them for constipation research.
How are experiments like these STILL happening under the Trump administration and why are they being… pic.twitter.com/1UcF2bebMO
— Laura Loomer (@LauraLoomer) May 8, 2025
Loomer rallied her millions of supporters to urge the Department of Defense to end the contract, catching the attention of influential figures, including Elon Musk and Sen. Rand Paul.
It did not take long for the DOD to respond and confirm the contract would be cancelled.
UPDATE:
I have been told that @DeptofDefense is reviewing their animal testing contracts following horrifically disturbing reports by @WhiteCoatWaste which aired on my show @LoomerUnleashed.@WhiteCoatWaste & I have uncovered even MORE Pentagon animal abuse.
In addition to… https://t.co/Qsz3H3t6O4 pic.twitter.com/DGdEoRwJMN
— Laura Loomer (@LauraLoomer) May 12, 2025
Less than two weeks later, the Navy announced the end of all testing on dogs and cats.
Loomer celebrated Tuesday’s news in a post on X, writing that the Navy Secretary’s office had personally contacted her to inform her that her work with White Coat Waste prompted the change.
Amazing! I was just personally contacted by the Navy Secretary’s @SECNAV office. They informed me that my interview and exclusive reporting on @LoomerUnleashed about the incredible investigation carried out by White Coat Waste Project @WhiteCoatWaste and their FOIA’s into… https://t.co/SsK1Xq3C4J
— Laura Loomer (@LauraLoomer) May 28, 2025
In a statement provided to The Gateway Pundit, White Coat Waste President Anthony Bellotti said:
“We’re thrilled that 10 days after the Trump DOD canceled cruel cat tests exposed by White Coat Waste, the U.S. Navy is now cutting all wasteful experiments on dogs and cats following our investigations and campaign.
Taxpayers shouldn’t be forced to pay for pet abuse in Navy-funded labs, and now, thanks to a White Coat Waste campaign, including powerful advocacy from Elon Musk, Laura Loomer, Rep. Nancy Mace, military veterans, and others, they won’t have to.
We applaud Secretary Phelan, Secretary Hegseth, and President Trump for first slashing the US government’s largest dog lab and now sending the Pentagon’s cat and dog abuse to the litterbox of history. Defunding dog and cat labs has been our top priority for Trump 47.
The solution is simple: Stop the money. Stop the madness!”
This isn’t the first win from White Coat Waste under the Trump administration.
Another PETA Lie: ‘Trump Did Nothing to Stop Animal Experimentation’
In April, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) announced plans to phase out animal testing requirements, starting with monoclonal antibodies and expanding to other drugs after a long pressure campaign from WCW.
The Trump administration’s Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has also pledged to eliminate animal testing, reinstating a plan originally introduced during President Trump’s first term.
FDA’s Move to Phase Out Animal Testing Hailed as Victory for White Coat Waste Project
Earlier this month, Secretary of Veterans Affairs Doug Collins also confirmed the department will end at least some of its primate testing before the 2026 deadline set by Congress. Since 2016, WCW had worked to expose how the VA was giving puppies heart attacks, injecting monkeys with angel dust, crippling kittens, drilling into cat’s skulls, and much more.
WCW is the only animal advocacy organization to shut down any government primate lab in nearly a decade, any government dog testing labs in almost 20 years, and any government cat lab in the last 40 years.
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