Rep. Dina Titus Nabs PETA Leadership Award for Work to End U.S. Funding of Foreign Animal Experiments

For Immediate Release:
September 18, 2024

Contact:
Tasgola Bruner 202-483-7382

Today, PETA honored Rep. Dina Titus (D-Nev.-01) with a Congressional Leadership Award for her years of advocacy for animals, which has included introducing the Cease Animal Research Grants Overseas (CARGO) Act with Rep. Troy Nehls (R-Texas-22), which would ban the National Institutes of Health (NIH) from funding animal experimentation in other countries. PETA Senior Vice President Kathy Guillermo presented Titus and four other lawmakers with awards from the group following a congressional briefing at which PETA Honorary Director James Cromwell and experts urged legislators to support the CARGO Act.

Titus’ many pro-animal actions include advocating to end agricultural boards’ mandatory fees that fund experiments on animals, working to ban the use of aircraft for cruel events such as “turkey drops,” urging U.S. Customs and Border Protection to prevent dog leather from entering the country, pushing NIH to retire monkeys used in experiments to sanctuaries, and calling on the U.S. Department of Agriculture to address federal Animal Welfare Act violations at Envigo’s massive beagle-breeding facility in Cumberland, Virginia—which ultimately contributed to its closure and the rescue of nearly 4,000 dogs.

“The protection of animals is an issue near and dear to my heart. I am an animal lover. We share this planet with animals, and it is our duty to protect them. I am grateful that I have been able to join PETA and other animal rights groups to sponsor and advocate for legislation to make sure animals are not mistreated by human hands. I am deeply appreciative of this award and the work PETA does to protect our animals.” says Rep. Titus.

“Rep. Dina Titus never stops advocating for animals, whether she’s protecting turkeys from being dropped out of planes or working to stop NIH from squandering $300 million yearly on useless experiments overseas,” says Guillermo. “PETA urges everyone to follow Titus’ example by speaking out against cruelty to animals wherever they see it.”

PETA—whose motto reads, in part, that “animals are not ours to experiment on”—points out that Every Animal Is Someone and offers free Empathy Kits for people who need a lesson in kindness. For more information, please visit PETA.org or follow the group on X, Facebook, or Instagram.

Note: PETA supports animal rights, 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.