This week, the Senate Agriculture Committee is set to debate and mark up the long-overdue Farm Bill — legislation typically associated with crop insurance, nutrition programs, and support for rural communities. But the 2026 Farm Bill also offers Congress a rare opportunity to secure other popular U.S. Department of Agriculture reforms: defunding mad science labs in China and protecting pets from Fauci-style lab abuse.

The Senate’s version of the Farm Bill — and its House companion, passed in April — commendably includes a provision prohibiting the USDA from funding animal experiments conducted in, or in collaboration with, China, Russia, Iran, North Korea, and other countries of concern.