President Donald Trump’s Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is moving to end animal testing practices involving beagles, chimpanzees and other animals, as federal agencies shift toward modern alternatives. The National Institutes of Health and the Environmental Protection Agency also say they plan to move away from animal testing and adopt newer methods.
Animal welfare advocates have pushed for such changes since the 1950s.
FDA Commissioner Marty Makary promoted the initiative as part of the Make America Healthy Again agenda. He explained why beagles are often used in testing, saying, “Scientists have really preyed on beagles because they are docile animals … Those kennels are empty, and we are making massive strides to reduce animal testing across different classes of medications on a roadmap that we have.”
🚨 BREAKING: President Trump’s FDA is ABOLISHING inhumane treatment and testing of beagles, chimpanzees and other animals
Good! This is common sense! STOP abusing dogs.
Commissioner Makary says ALL beagles that the FDA housed were removed from custody
“Scientists have really… pic.twitter.com/R4vFDFLVPb
— Eric Daugherty (@EricLDaugh) March 29, 2026
Makary discussed the shift during a conversation with NewsNation’s Katie Pavlich, saying he does not believe “God made these animals for us to subjugate and torture.” He said the FDA is working to eliminate unnecessary animal testing.
He said:
“The FDA has required significant animal testing each year. We are eliminating requirements for unnecessary testing.”
Makary outlined how modern alternatives will work. “We’re going to use computational modeling. I can look at a molecule to predict if it’s going to be toxic, using organ-on-a-chip technology,” he said. He added that this involves using cell lines in laboratory settings to test how drugs behave, reducing the need for chimpanzees, rabbits and other animals.
Makary acknowledged that animal testing is outdated and often unnecessary.
“If a drug is approved in Europe and already being used in humans, why are we requiring two species of animal testing?” he said. He added that “animal models are just not good models to test toxicity in humans. Mice are not the same as human beings. Ninety percent of drugs that pass animal testing do not pass human safety and efficacy.”
President Trump’s FDA Ends Beagle and Chimp Testing Practices
President Trump’s FDA announced it is abolishing inhumane testing on beagles, chimpanzees, and other animals, with Commissioner Makary confirming all FDA-housed beagles have been removed from custody and their kennels… pic.twitter.com/EQnbbcFTNr
— Dominica Romanda (@DominicRomanda) March 30, 2026
Makary also said the new alternatives are “better, cheaper, safer and more humane,” adding that the initiative could reduce both the time and cost of medical research. “When we lower research and development costs for pharmaceutical companies, we are doing two things. One, we lower the cost to develop a new drug, which can translate into lower prices once it is approved. And we are shortening the research and development timeline,” he said.
He added that faster timelines could benefit patients awaiting treatment.
“When you are a patient desperately needing one of these new cures, taking an extra six to 12 months for testing, while chimpanzee testing carries risks, means you are potentially missing out on a promising treatment,” he said.
