Los Angeles, CA — Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Los Angeles (spcaLA) commends Congress for taking a pivotal step towards the ethical treatment of animals by ordering the Department of Veteran Affairs (VA) to cease all testing on dogs, cats, and primates by 2026.

The legislation is included in the VA’s latest spending bill for the 2024 budget. Specifically, the VA is ordered to “implement a plan under which the VA secretary will eliminate research conducted using canines, felines, or non-human primates not later than two years after the date of enactment of this act.” The VA must also allow inspections of their testing facilities by the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

“This is a good step in the right direction,” said Madeline Bernstein, President spcaLA. “Best would be immediate stoppage of animal testing on ALL animals.”

In the past, the VA has asserted that “it is often necessary to work with animal models to provide the treatments and cures that the public demands to relieve their suffering,” but most experts disagree.

“Let’s help our veterans by funding research that is beneficial,” Bernstein said. “Not by using tax dollars to fund inconclusive research that is cruel and inhumane.”