Fauci-Holdover Animal Testing Czar Caught Lying About Funding Dog and Cat Experiments – Approved Millions While PETA Applauded
A watchdog group has filed a formal complaint with the National Institutes of Health (NIH), accusing a top official of misleading the public about the agency’s funding of controversial animal experiments involving dogs and cats.
The nonprofit White Coat Waste alleges that NIH Deputy Director Nicole Kleinstreuer falsely claimed the agency was legally bound to continue funding certain animal research grants that predated her tenure. According to the complaint, millions of dollars in new and extended grants for experiments on beagles and kittens have in fact been approved since Kleinstreuer assumed her role in April last year.
The dispute centers on remarks Kleinstreuer made during an official NIH video podcast in July. Addressing criticism from animal-rights advocates, she said some projects “predate” current leadership and that NIH was “constrained under the law” to maintain them temporarily while working to phase them out. She also asserted the agency was developing an action plan to end such studies “as quickly as possible under the law.”
White Coat Waste contends NIH records tell a different story. In its filing, the group lists dozens of grants it says were approved or extended during Kleinstreuer’s leadership, including:
-
More than 30 new grants potentially involving dog experiments totaling roughly $40 million, including a nearly $3 million award to a pharmaceutical firm for lethal testing on 68 beagles.
-
Over 45 extensions of existing dog-research grants totaling more than $170 million overall, including new funding to Tufts University for diet-pill experiments on beagles.
-
At least three new cat-research grants worth about $1.1 million, including a project at the University of Minnesota involving invasive neurological procedures on kittens.
-
More than 10 extended cat-research grants exceeding $45 million, including additional funding for spinal-cord injury studies.
The group argues these awards were discretionary decisions that contradict Kleinstreuer’s public statements and violate federal information-quality standards requiring accuracy from government officials.
White Coat Waste also says the funding conflicts with President Donald Trump’s stated goals of reducing wasteful spending and curbing animal testing in federal research programs. The complaint characterizes Kleinstreuer as continuing policies associated with former NIH leadership under Anthony Fauci.
WAIT—YOU DIDN’T HEAR?👀
A guide for what @NIH will fund shows a recent change that prioritizes animal-free, human-relevant research.
We’re grateful to @NKleinstreuer, @NIHDirector_Jay, & @RobertKennedyJr for championing this move! https://t.co/DiVerjwinQ— PETA (@peta) June 26, 2025
The filing further asserts NIH has authority under its own rules to terminate grants not deemed in the federal government’s best interest. It cites Kleinstreuer’s past comments to NPR defending some animal studies as “scientifically justified” and not subject to immediate elimination.
Animal-rights organizations have responded differently to Kleinstreuer’s position. Groups including PETA and the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine praised her stated commitment to transitioning toward non-animal research methods. White Coat Waste, however, argues those endorsements overlook continued NIH funding of the very experiments critics oppose.
The dispute has also revived longstanding tensions between advocacy groups. White Coat Waste has accused PETA of previously mischaracterizing its work and attempting to claim credit for policy changes. The group has pointed to past coverage in The New Yorker and statements reported by The Gateway Pundit as examples of the conflict.
In its complaint, White Coat Waste asks NIH to halt what it calls misleading statements, issue a public retraction clarifying the agency’s authority to end funding for dog- and cat-research grants, and provide a firm timeline if it intends to phase them out. The organization says inaccurate claims by NIH leadership have forced it to divert resources to correcting the record and responding to inquiries from the public, Congress, and the Trump administration.
NIH has not yet publicly responded to the complaint. White Coat Waste has requested a reply within 60 days under the agency’s administrative complaint procedures.
About Post Author
