Victory! CDC Will Phase Out Cruel Primate Experiments After Pressure From White Coat Waste

In a landmark victory for animals, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has announced that it will phase out all primate experiments. The decision marks a historic turning point after years of public pressure, investigative work, and persistent advocacy, including major efforts by White Coat Waste (WCW), who worked closely with the Trump Administration to expose and end these painful, tax-funded tests.

The CDC currently confines an estimated 200 monkeys in its laboratories, where they are subjected to invasive and often deadly experiments. These primates have been intentionally infected with some of the world’s most dangerous pathogens, including smallpox, Ebola, hepatitis, and HIV-like viruses, all funded by American taxpayers. Dr. Fauci is among the officials who have funded these long-criticized experiments.

WCW’s work, from public campaigns to behind-the-scenes lobbying, played a direct role in prompting U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. to declare, “We are working ferociously to end all non-human primate studies,” and to commit to working with WCW to make it happen. That promise has now materialized with the CDC’s decision to shut down its primate labs for good.

“This is another historic White Coat Waste victory — and we couldn’t be prouder to have worked with the Trump Administration to cut CDC’s government monkey business,” said WCW President and Founder Anthony Bellotti. “Secretary Kennedy has now delivered on his promise to work with White Coat Waste by completely shutting down the CDC’s primate labs, where hundreds of victims were infected with smallpox, Ebola, hepatitis, and HIV-like viruses at taxpayer expense by Dr. Fauci and other mad scientists.”

This isn’t the first time WCW has secured groundbreaking reform at the federal level. During the first Trump Administration, a WCW investigation pushed the FDA to end wasteful nicotine addiction tests on baby monkeys and, for the first time in agency history, retire the surviving animals to a sanctuary. WCW is now working closely with Trump’s HHS to secure the same outcome for as many CDC lab survivors as possible, a goal the group has long fought for.

World Animal News has reported on WCW’s investigations for many years, including numerous exclusive stories that helped bring national attention to tax-funded animal experiments. From exposing federal waste to revealing hidden cruelty inside government labs, WCW’s tireless work has been instrumental in shifting policy, saving animals, and demanding transparency from agencies that have operated in secrecy for decades.

This latest victory is powerful proof that advocacy works, and that when investigations, public pressure, and political will align, animals can be spared from unimaginable suffering.

WAN thanks White Coat Waste, the Trump Administration, and every advocate who helped make this historic victory possible. Because of these efforts, hundreds of primates are now one step closer to freedom. A future of cruelty-free science now feels closer than ever.