A bipartisan coalition of House members is urging the Pentagon to end a $1 million toxicology testing program on beagles, the latest effort to stop government funding of animal testing that the Food and Drug Administration calls unnecessary.

In a letter to Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin, Reps. Young Kim (R-CA) and Don Davis (D-NC) said, “We are concerned by the DoD’s use of taxpayer dollars on inhumane dog experiments for human drugs and do not believe it is a prudent use of its resources.”

The two and 23 other Republican and Democratic co-signers noted the Pentagon’s policy of banning animal medical or surgical training and weapons development research.

But, they said, a $949,108 contract to test a pill for amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, or ALS, slipped through.

“It appears the policy has allowed the continued use of dogs in other testing and research in cases where alternatives may now be available. Non-animal methodologies exist, and the department should allocate more resources to create a better future for drug experimentation. These methods are more reliable, economical, and ensure an ethical standard the DoD should uphold,” the letter to Austin said.

“Animals should be treated with care, not cruelty. There’s no excuse for inhumane testing on dogs and cats on the taxpayer’s dime, especially when alternatives are available. The U.S. government should not fund painful, unnecessary testing on innocent animals, period. I’ll keep holding this administration accountable,” Kim told Secrets.

The effort drew praise from the White Coat Waste Project, which has succeeded in ending other government testing on beagles and other animals.

“We applaud Reps. Young Kim and Don Davis for their bipartisan leadership to stop the Pentagon’s pet abuse. White Coat Waste Project’s recent investigations uncovered how the DOD is wasting millions of our money to poison puppies and electro-shock and cripple kittens in barbaric experiments that are opposed by a supermajority of taxpayers across the political spectrum,” said Justin Goodman, the group’s senior vice president.

“In recent years, we’ve defunded and eliminated dog and cat testing at the Department of Veterans Affairs and now the DOD needs to follow suit. The solution is simple: Stop the money. Stop the madness!” Goodman added.

The House recently added by a voice vote an amendment to the Pentagon spending bill banning animal tests with an exception for national security.

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The White Coat Waste Project first blew the whistle on the beagle contract, which called for 13 weeks of drug tests.

Among the victories it is known for is targeting Dr. Anthony Fauci and his leadership of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, which was involved in animal testing in a scandal the group dubbed “Beaglegate.”