On January 22, 2026, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Administrator Lee Zeldin announced that the agency is getting back on track to end mammalian animal testing and reviving the ambitious goal, first set during the Trump Administration, to eliminate the practice by 2035. The Biden Administration canceled the agency’s animal testing phase-out deadlines, slowing innovation on next-generation testing alternatives that spare animals and strengthen science. Now, EPA is charging ahead, prioritizing the development and rollout of high-quality methods that replace testing on vertebrate mammals such as rabbits, mice, rats, and dogs, advancing EPA’s Make America Healthy Again agenda and the gold standard of scientific excellence.
Here’s the latest:
EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin on X: “I just signed and announced the Trump EPA’s decision to END animal testing on mammals by 2035. This historic goal was originally set during President Trump’s first term but then got ditched almost instantly after he first left office. We are now BACK ON TRACK and already reducing animal testing across the agency, getting the agency’s animals adopted, validating new non-animal methods, and recommitting to the 2035 deadline.”
EPA HQ on X: “Today, Administrator Zeldin announced the agency is reaffirming President Trump’s commitment to reduce mammalian animal testing and eliminate the practice by 2035, in accordance with the law. The Biden administration halted progress on these efforts by canceling phase-out compliance deadlines. The Trump EPA has been working to Make America Healthy Again by developing alternative New Approach Methods to ensure we are following our statutory obligations and conducting rigorous research using gold standard science.”
Former EPA Administrator Andrew Wheeler on X: “Honored to join Administrator Zeldin and my friends at White Coat Waste as Admin Zeldin reaffirmed the ban on animal testing at EPA. It is the correct and moral course of action.”
EPA Deputy Administrator David Fotouhi on X: “While the Biden EPA impeded the phaseout of testing on mammals by 2035— a date set by the Trump EPA in 2019— Administrator Zeldin is recommitting EPA’s efforts to this historic goal. Today’s announcement demonstrates the Trump EPA’s dedication to following the law and using gold standard science, including New Approach Methods, to protect human health and the environment while working to eliminate the use of mammals in testing.”
White Coat Waste on X: “White Coat Waste just joined Trump’s EPA to announce they are reinstating their historic plan to end all dog, rabbit, and mammal experiments by 2035. We’re proud to have been instrumental in delivering this victory for taxpayers and innocent animals alongside EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin today.”
Humane World Action Fund on X: “Today, EPA recommitted to end testing on mammals by 2035. This move has the potential to replace tests on tens of thousands of animals with non-animal methods that are better for both humans and animals.”
PETA on X: “Today, the EPA announced its recommitment to eliminating animal tests by 2035, following years of collaboration between the EPA and PETA scientists This commitment to increase reliance on non-animal testing will enable more relevant and reliable approaches to better protect humans, wildlife, and our environment.”
Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine on X: “The EPA just committed to fully replacing animal testing. This is a huge win for science, safety, and animals!”
In the news:
Washington Times: EPA to end mammal testing by 2035, reviving Trump-era goal
“. . . [EPA] has made some big strides toward that goal over the past year, including an adoption program that provides humane retirements for some animals at the EPA’s lab in Research Triangle Park, North Carolina.”
Breitbart: Trump EPA Commits to Ending Testing on Mammals, Reversing Biden Admin Decision
“The Trump administration’s Environmental Protection Agency has committed to ending testing on mammals within the decade after the Biden administration canceled the phase-out deadlines.”
Daily Caller: Trump EPA Rolls Back Barbaric Practice Once Beloved By Fauci And Co.
‘“. . . We will continue to aggressively pursue opportunities to reduce animal testing as quickly as possible,” said Zeldin… “This 2035 date is viewed as more than just a goal. It is a deadline that absolutely can and must be met.’”
WJLA TV 7: Historic move by EPA to end animal testing by 2035
“. . . Oliver, one of more than 4,000 beagles rescued from a Virginia research center in 2022, is a rock star inside the halls of the EPA. Super cute, and he represents huge efforts by White Coat Waste Project, PETA, and the Humane World for Animals to reduce and eventually end animal testing.”
New York Times: E.P.A. Promises a Ban on Animal Testing by 2035
“. . . [T]he agency used for the first time last year ‘high quality alternative scientific methods’ to conduct cancer evaluations for dibutyl phthalate and di (2-ethylhexyl) phthalate, chemicals found in paints, adhesives, and cosmetics. Doing so spared an estimated 1,600 mice and rats from undergoing lab experiments.”
E&E News: EPA revives goal to end animal testing by 2035
“. . . The commitment, made by the first Trump administration, was ditched by the Biden administration in favor of more flexibility and no firm deadline.”
Tampa Free Press: Rats, Rabbits, and Reform: EPA Revives 2035 Deadline to End Animal Testing
“. . . Zeldin framed the announcement as a necessary course correction, criticizing the previous administration for stalling progress on alternative research methods. The renewed initiative ties into the broader ‘Make America Healthy Again’ agenda, signaling a shift away from reliance on vertebrate experiments involving dogs, rabbits, and mice.”
