The People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) recently penned a letter to Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and Navy Secretary John Phelan, expressing gratitude for the Trump administration’s decision to ban Navy-funded dog and cat experiments. The organization also urged for a broader ban on all animal testing across all military branches.
Phelan announced the termination of all Department of the Navy testing on cats and dogs earlier this week, citing the need to save taxpayer dollars and put an end to inhumane studies. White Coat Waste, a bipartisan nonprofit organization and government watchdog, played a significant role in advocating for this decision.
“This is long overdue,” Phelan stated in a video message. “In addition to this termination, I’m directing the surgeon general of the Navy to conduct a comprehensive review of all medical research programs to ensure they align with ethical guidelines, scientific necessity, and our core values of integrity and readiness.”
PETA commended the Department of Defense for taking this crucial step and called for a comprehensive audit aimed at eliminating waste, fraud, and abuse in animal experimentation within the military. Specifically, the organization requested a ban on the use of animals in Navy decompression sickness and oxygen toxicity tests, as well as a prohibition on the use of dogs, cats, nonhuman primates, marine animals, and other animals in Army weapon-wounding tests.
The reinstatement of weapon-wounding tests by the U.S. Army Medical Research and Development Command in 2020 raised concerns, prompting PETA to advocate for the cessation of such experiments. The organization successfully lobbied for the discontinuation of a brain-damaging weapon-wounding experiment on ferrets at Wayne State University, highlighting the need for ethical and humane research practices.
See also Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez’s tough Bronx persona is under fresh scrutiny with a resurfaced childhood nickname from her suburban upstate New York upbringing casting doubt on that publicly portrayed image. The progressive champion’s latest spat with President Donald Trump over the Iran strikes again called into question her true upbringing when she declared on X she was a “Bronx girl" to make her a point against the president. The 35-year-old congresswoman wrote in part on X: "I’m a Bronx girl. You should know that we can eat Queens boys for breakfast. Respectfully," she said, referring to the president’s upbringing in Queens as she called for his impeachment over his decision to bypass Congress in authorizing U.S. strikes on Iranian nuclear facilities. Ocasio-Cortez was born in the Bronx but moved to Yorktown – which is nearly an hour outside New York City -- when she was 5 years old and went on to attend Yorktown High School where she graduated in 2007. She was considered an accomplished student there and well thought of by teacher Michael Blueglass, according to a 2018 report by local media outlet Halston Media News. “There, known by students and staff as ‘Sandy,’ she was a member of the Science Research Program taught by Michael Blueglass," the report states. “She was amazing," Blueglass said, per the report. “Aside from her winning one of the top spots and going to the [Intel International Science and Engineering Fair], she was just one of the most amazing presenters in all of the years I've been at Yorktown. Her ability to take complex information and explain it to all different levels of people was fantastic." After high school, Ocasio-Cortez attended Boston University, where she majored in economics and international relations, per the report. Ocasio-Cortez’s “Sandy" nickname — which carries a more suburban and preppy tone — appears to undercut her politically crafted image as a tough, inner-city fighter, one she has portrayed since her famous 2018 congressional campaign where she eventually ousted former 10-terms Congressman Joe Crowley. New York GOP Assemblyman Matt Slater, who now represents Yorktown, added to the scrutiny of Ocasio-Cortez’s persona in the wake of her brash with Trump and released images of Ocasio-Cortez from his high school yearbook. He claimed he and the rising Democratic star attended Yorktown High School at the same time when she was a freshman and he was a senior. "I saw the attacks on the president and her [Ocasio-Cortez] claims that she's a big, tough Bronx girl," said Slater. "To sit there and say that she’s a Bronx girl is just patently ridiculous." "Everybody in our community knows this is just a bold-face lie," said Slater on "Fox & Friends First" last week. "She grew up in Yorktown, she was on my track team." "She's lying about her background, she's lying about her upbringing," Slater claimed. Slater’s post sent social media ablaze and prompted Ocasio-Cortez to respond after an image if her family’s home was posted online. “I’m proud of how I grew up and talk about it all the time," Ocasio-Cortez wrote on X Friday responding to the post. “My mom cleaned houses and I helped. We cleaned tutors’ homes in exchange for SAT prep." “Growing up between the Bronx and Yorktown deeply shaped my views of inequality & it’s a big reason I believe the things I do today!"
PETA also raised alarm over the cruel treatment of animals in decompression sickness experiments conducted by the Naval Medical Research Command. Reports revealed instances where baby pigs were subjected to excruciating procedures, resulting in their untimely deaths. The organization estimated that over $5.1 million in federal funding was wasted on these tests at various universities.
In response to these revelations, PETA called for a broader ban on animal testing in all military branches, including foreign institutions receiving DOD funding. The organization highlighted disturbing experiments in Canada and Australia involving dogs and rats, urging for an end to such barbaric practices.
As PETA continues to advocate for the ethical treatment of animals, it remains hopeful that the Department of Defense will heed their call for reform and prioritize compassion in scientific research. The organization’s relentless efforts underscore the importance of upholding ethical standards and ending the unnecessary suffering of innocent animals in the name of experimentation.
