Newly uncovered documents prove that disturbing experiments on kittens continue under the second Trump administration and the watch of Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., a move that directly conflicts with the values of the Make America Healthy Again (MAHA) movement.
Documents revealed via a Freedom of Information Act lawsuit prove that the National Institutes of Health is investing more than $2 million into controversial experiments on cats and kittens at a breeding operation based at the University of Florida (UF). These experiments involve breeding more than 100 cats with Niemann-Pick type C1 (NPC1), a fatal neurodegenerative disease that causes loss of muscle control, difficulty swallowing, and dementia.
The treatment of the cats was uncovered through a FOIA lawsuit filed in August 2025 by White Coat Waste (WCW), a non-profit organization that describes itself as a “bipartisan government watchdog.” WCW sought NIH records relating to $600 million in active grants and contracts paying for testing on dogs and cats in the United States and abroad. Some of these experiments involve implanting electrodes in beagles’ brains, crippling cats, infesting pets with biting insects, and damaging dogs’ hearts in the name of research.
The documents uncovered by WCW show these tests are financed by $2,639,706 in NIH funding that runs through November 2026. WCW also obtained disturbing images and videos of the cats and kittens living with NPC1.
The records show that kittens as young as three weeks old are being subjected to injections in their brain and carotid arteries, as well as repeated blood and tissue sample collections. As the animals’ health deteriorates in front of the researchers, the researchers continue to experiment on them, including after they lose the ability to feed themselves. All of the cats will eventually be killed.
Within the documents, the researchers admit that the cats are allowed to live with the disease “until signs of neurological disease are severe enough to result in the need for euthanasia due to concerns for quality of life.”
WCW notes that kittens that are part of breeding colonies but not used directly in the NPC1 experiment can be subjected to further testing, as they are shared with other laboratories. “For breeding animals, heterozygote or normal animals from litters are saved and transferred to investigators when requested,” the document states.
Justin Goodman, Senior Vice President at government watchdog White Coat Waste, called the experiments “cruel and wasteful” and noted that the Trump administration continues to fund animal testing despite claims of ending such research.
I joined @SecRollins + @AGPamBondi to fight animal cruelty—shutting down puppy mills and cutting unnecessary testing. A nation is judged by how it treats its animals, and this administration is delivering real accountability and reform. pic.twitter.com/koL1oB3Sef
— Secretary Kennedy (@SecKennedy) January 5, 2026
“Over a year ago, RFK Jr. promised a ‘dramatic reduction in animal testing at NIH,’ but White Coat Waste has documented how the agency has defiantly doled out nearly $150 million in new tax funding for cat and dog testing at UF and elsewhere since then. WTF RFK?” Goodman said in a statement.
Broken Promises from the Trump Administration
Despite the promises of Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., Dr. Jay Bhattacharya, acting director of the CDC, and Nicole Kleinstreuer, NIH Deputy Director for Program Coordination, Planning, and Strategic Initiatives, the Trump administration has continued to finance cat and dog experiments around the world since taking office.
In April, Wisconsin Rep. Mark Pocan questioned Kennedy about the treatment of beagles at the Ridglan Farms research facility during a House Appropriations Committee hearing. Pocan cited the July 1 deadline for Ridglan to end its dog-selling license and warned that the dogs could be euthanized without HHS intervention.
“In my district we have something called Ridglan Farms. That’s a beagle breeder for research. They’ve had 311 code violations including very serious harm to the health of dogs,” Pocan said to Kennedy. “So grants are still, in the last month, going to groups that are getting beagles from Ridglan Farms. Could you please take a look at this?”
Pocan also told Kennedy that “you’re still giving money to groups through the NIH that are using beagles from this highly questionable farm.”
WOW:
RFK Jr. was just grilled about the NIH approving new funding for cruel beagle labs on his watch.
“You’re still giving money to groups through the NIH that are using beagles!”
Watch this shocking moment from today’s hearing:
Rep. Mark Pocan cited our investigations to… pic.twitter.com/vbymUoJZlW
— White Coat Waste (@WhiteCoatWaste) April 16, 2026
Kennedy seemed to doubt the claims of beagles being tortured.
“I have a hard time. I believe you, but I have a hard time believing that. I need to look into this,” Kennedy responded. The HHS Secretary claimed the Trump administration had “done more than any other administration in history to end animal testing.”
Following the hearing, Pocan posted on Twitter/X, “In my district, a beagle breeding facility called Ridglan Farms has hundreds of code violations, including serious harm to the health of the dogs, yet the NIH is still giving funding to groups that use the beagles from this facility. I urged Secretary Kennedy to stop this practice.”
A Rising Tide of Animal Activism
Over the last five years there has been a noticeable uptick in animal welfare activism. While animal welfare and animal rights have long been a topic of concern for groups like PETA and vegan activists, the COVID-19 era saw conservatives begin to express their disdain for animal testing.
Much of the conservative ire began after the so-called “BeagleGate” scandals exposed under Anthony Fauci, the former National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases director under President Biden. The rise of “right-wing animal rights” activism is also directly related to the rise of the Make America Healthy Again (MAHA) movement under the presidential campaign of Robert F. Kennedy Jr. The shift in priorities is so great that even The New York Times has taken note.
In April, as Kennedy remained in denial about the beagle experiments taking place at Ridglan Farms, around 1,000 animal rights activists descended upon Blue Mounds, Wisconsin, hoping to free 2,000 beagles from the controversial dog breeder and research facility. Dozens of activists were arrested as the Dane County Sheriff’s Office (DCSO) and partnering law enforcement agencies used pepper spray and rubber bullets to prevent the activists from breaching the facility’s fences.
The work of the activists has proven successful in garnering public support and drawing attention to the plight of the beagles. At the beginning of June it was announced that 135 beagles were being released from Ridglan. The dogs are being divided between rescue groups, including Big Dog Ranch Rescue in Loxahatchee Grove, Florida.
Earlier this week, Big Dog Ranch Rescue announced they had secured the relocation of 325 beagles. Another 150 beagles will be released to the rescue in early August.
Following the announcements about the rescue of the beagles, HHS Secretary Kennedy and USDA Secretary Brooke Rollins released a video celebrating the victory and claiming they played a role in the release of the dogs.
Today @USDA @SecRollins and I secured a major win for animal welfare.
Ridglan Farms will transfer its remaining 475 beagles out of a research breeding facility and into the care of a no-kill rescue, where they can begin the path to adoption.
Thank you, @LaraLeaTrump, for… pic.twitter.com/gmxiZeYc7k
— Secretary Kennedy (@SecKennedy) June 15, 2026
Wayne Hsiung, co-founder of Direct Action Everywhere and the organizer of the Ridglan Farms action, released a video congratulating all the activists and organizations involved in the win. Hsiung was arrested shortly after arriving on the scene of the Ridglan rescue and still faces criminal charges along with several other activists.
We won! Ridglan is closing and all the dogs are coming out!
And I want to share two important things about how we won. (Hint: it wasn’t me. It was someone else!) pic.twitter.com/ak9ZUepitw
— Wayne Hsiung (@waynehhsiung) June 15, 2026
The release of the Ridglan beagles and the continued exposure of animal abuse by groups like White Coat Waste may yet signal the expansion of a burgeoning animal liberation movement that cuts across partisan lines and ideological differences.
