Today, Congresswoman Lucille Roybal-Allard (CA-40), Congressman Brendan Boyle (PA-13), Congressman Sam Farr (CA-20), Congresswoman Dina Titus (NV-1), and 24 additional members of Congress sent a letter to National Institutes of Health (NIH) Director Dr. Francis Collins requesting that the agency make plans to transfer 300 monkeys from a shuttering federal laboratory in Maryland to reputable sanctuaries. The letter can be read here.

The request follows NIH’s announcement in early December that, after more than 30 years, it is ending controversial psychological experiments on baby monkeys and closing down the facility by September 30, 2018.  Since 2014, Congresswoman Roybal-Allard – a member of the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education (Labor-HHS) – has been leading efforts in Congress to end these experiments, including by sending letters to NIH and by successfully including report language in the FY 2016 Labor-HHS Appropriations bill calling for a critical review of the project.

“Having closely worked on this issue for more than a year, I applaud the NIH for making history by ending decades of traumatizing experiments on baby monkeys,” said Congresswoman Roybal-Allard. “I am pleased to join my congressional colleagues in urging Dr. Collins to now make arrangements to send these monkeys to sanctuaries, rather than sending them to other laboratories to be subjected to further experiments.” 

“NIH has done the right thing by ending its controversial and expensive psychological experiments on monkeys,” said Congressman Boyle.  “The responsible next step is transferring these primates to reputable sanctuaries, as the agency has committed to doing with government-owned chimpanzees.” 
 
“This cruel monkey laboratory has been operating for more than 30 years—since before I was elected to Congress—and I am proud to be a part of efforts that have ensured it begins closing down before I leave office.  Now I want to make sure that these monkeys get to retire by the time I do in 2017,” said Congressman Farr. 

“I am glad NIH will end testing on baby monkeys, and I am hopeful that the NIH will take the important next steps so these animals can live in peace,” said Congresswoman Titus.