Having spent nearly two decades in Congress, I am known for my reputation as a staunch social and fiscal conservative, defense hawk, and veterans’ advocate. However, one of the accomplishments I’m most proud of is my work to reform abusive and wasteful government animal research. And I’m pleased that my colleagues on the Hill are still fighting the good fight.

In 2000, Congress enacted my Senate legislation to create a sanctuary system for chimps no longer needed in taxpayer-funded biomedical research because their use was on the decline for ethical, scientific, and economic reasons. We were ahead of our time. The National Institutes of Health has since confirmed that chimp research is unnecessary and cut all federal funding for it.