It’s shocking but true: The U.S. government went on a spending spree with your tax dollars at China’s “wet markets”—where scientists believe COVID-19 originated—to buy cats and dogs who were killed then victims of wasteful experimentation.
The Chinese “wet markets” at the center of the coronavirus and the source of American lawmakers’ ire?
American taxpayers have, unwittingly, funded them.https://t.co/6DMZZj9kyX
— Washington Examiner (@dcexaminer) April 10, 2020
As first reported by the Washington Examiner, Congress has joined us in the fight to end the squandering of taxpayer dollars in this outrageous way—which is not just wasteful and cruel, but presents a serious risk to human health.
You’ve Been an Unwitting Customer of China’s Dangerous Wet Markets!
Last year, White Coat Waste Project (WCW) uncovered how for years the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) kitten slaughterhouse used taxpayer dollars to purchase dozens of cats and dogs at China’s wet markets (and elsewhere around the world) for use in lab experiments back in the States.
In fact as recently as 2015 the agency was buying live animals at wet markets, having them slaughtered, and bringing their body parts back to the United States for experiments. One gruesome detail among many: The cats’ and dogs’ body parts were transported in carry-on luggage. Then they were fed to cats in USDA labs, who were made to be “kitten cannibals” for bizarre and useless experiments.
Thanks to outstanding leadership from Rep. Brian Mast (R-FL) and others, we have since shut down those experiments, and adopted out the surviving cats and kittens.
The wet markets in China are disgusting. To think that taxpayer dollars were spent to buy animals from these markets for cruel experiments is insane. We fought to end this practice & I’ll keep fighting to ensure taxpayer dollars never go to them again!https://t.co/hf6OOPckMa
— Rep. Brian Mast (@RepBrianMast) April 13, 2020
But that’s not the end, because—if you can believe it—we recently uncovered that the federal government is still funding cruel animal testing in Wuhan.
Tell the Government to Stop Using Your Tax Dollars in This Wasteful, Dangerous Way
We are continuing to investigate the gory details, and we will share them with you as they emerge.
Taxpayers should never be forced to bankroll dangerous animal abuse in foreign countries and we’ll continue to work with Congress to put an end to this egregious misuse of Americans’ tax dollars.
