‘Save Me and $22 Billion’: Guess Who Made a Big Squeak at the Vice Presidential Debate?

Published by Danny Prater.
4 min read

PETA’s giant “mouse” mascot shared the message Save Me and $22 Billion: End NIH Animal Experiments!” outside the vice presidential debate in New York City—urging candidates to end the National Institutes of Health’s (NIH) annual waste of billions of tax dollars on cruel and archaic experiments on animals.

NIH mouse posing with kids
Vice presidential debate NIH mouse
NIH mouse protester posing with people
Mouse outside the vice president debate

PETA calls on all candidates to redirect taxpayers’ money to modern, human-relevant research that leaves animals in peace.

In September, PETA’s “mouse” mascot appeared outside the Trump-Harris debate in Philadelphia to challenge billions wasted on animal tests.

peta supporters in philadelphia for 2024 presidential debate
peta mouse mascot in philadelphia for Trump - Harris 2024 presidential debate

In August, PETA’s mouse mascot made a big squeak at the 2024 Democratic National Convention in Chicago.

PETA mouse crashes 2024 democratic national convention collage
PETA on Day 3 of the 2024 Democratic National Convention
PETA at 2024 DNC day 3
PETA Mouse outside 2024 DNC
peta mouse mascot outside the democratic national convention 2024
PETA mascot in chicago for 2024 democratic national convention
PETA mouse mascot visits the chicago bean
PETA mascot at 2024 DNC in Chicago
PETA outside the 2024 Democratic National Convention in Chicago

Earlier this summer, PETA’s mouse crashed the 2024 Republican National Convention in Milwaukee.

PETA mouse with woman at 2024 RNC
PETA Mouse with tall young man at 2024 RNC
PETA mouse and Oshkosh police officers at 2024 Republican National Convention
man hugs PETA mouse at 2024 republican national convention
PETA Mouse Mascot attends 2024 RNC in Milwaukee

PETA’s mouse supports ending wasteful spending by the National Institutes of Health.

This agency squanders nearly half its annual budget on animal experiments—even though 90% of basic research, most of which involves animals, fails to lead to effective treatments for humans and 95% of new drugs that test safe and effective in animals fail in human clinical trials, sometimes causing serious side effects such as anaphylaxis or even death.

The National Institutes of Health throws away public funds to prop up a broken system that wastes critical time and money harming animals in worthless experiments that benefit only the grantees.

Support PETA’s Research Modernization Deal

Experiments on animals have continued for decades with little oversight and no human-relevant results.

We urge all candidates and officials to support redirecting taxpayer funds to cutting-edge, non-animal research that could actually yield treatments and cures for humans.

Not in the United States? Please take action for animals in laboratories below:


Note: PETA supports animal rights and opposes all forms of animal exploitation and educates the public on those issues. PETA does not directly or indirectly participate or intervene in any political campaign on behalf of or in opposition to any candidate for public office or any political party.

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