Two Legislators Are Trying to Save Beagles from Being Gassed to Death. They Need Your Help.
You would think the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) would be concerned about dogs being gassed to death with chemical weapons banned under international law, given its responsibility to enforce animal welfare laws. You would think this would be doubly true if two prominent Congressmembers, including one who is a member of the committee with investigative powers over federal agencies, demanded them to act.
And you would be wrong. Because the USDA—the institution tasked with protecting animals—has been captured by the industries that abuse them.
Reach out to your Congressional representatives and ask them to tell the USDA to help the animals suffering criminal abuse at Marshall BioResources. Here are instructions for doing that!
On June 26, 2026, House Reps. Nick Langworthy and Rep. Nicole Malliotakis wrote to the head of the USDA asking for basic information about federal inspections at the largest dog and cat breeding and experimentation facility in the nation, Marshall BioResources of North Rose, New York. Their request comes in the wake of years of damning disclosures about Marshall.
In August 2021, federal inspectors found a series of animals with serious and untreated injuries, including one mama with a puncture wound in her mammary gland.
In May 2023, they found a kitten whose tail had been “chewed to the bone” after being injured and forced to live in a cage with aggressive animals who attacked him.
And in September 2024, whistleblower footage was published showing dogs being trained for so-called “inhalation experiments.” The dogs would thrash on a table, desperately trying to escape the black masks that would soon feed them poisoned gas.
A published study showed the purpose of this training protocol. Marshall beagles were being forced to breathe phosgene gas, a chemical weapon banned by the Geneva Protocol after killing 70,000+ people in World War I. The inhalation training was meant to teach them it was pointless to struggle, even as the phosgene gas ate away at their lungs.
Yet despite this evidence of criminal abuse, the USDA has to date refused to lift a finger to help the dogs. Animal advocates have for years complained that the USDA is letting facilities like Marshall get away with breaking the law, including the federal PACT Act (which prohibits causing serious bodily injury to animals) and the Animal Welfare Act (which requires adequate veterinary care). Indeed, the USDA’s own internal watchdog, the Inspector General, has admitted for decades that its enforcement mechanisms are “basically meaningless” and that its own inspectors often act in cahoots with the agency.
But the USDA’s latest action, ignoring the legal demands of two sitting House members, is perhaps its most brazen yet. Rep. Langworthy is a member of the powerful House Oversight Committee, expressly commissioned to investigate federal agencies for misconduct. He has worked with Rep. Mark Pocan, one of the most progressive members of Congress, to push for greater oversight over experiments on dogs. But even Langworthy apparently has no power to stop the USDA and Marshall from acting with impunity.
The deadline in Langworthy’s letter passed without so much as a word from the USDA.
There is a simple reason for this: legalized corruption. For decades, the USDA has been a revolving door for the industry it supposedly regulates. USDA chiefs from both parties are guaranteed cushy jobs or sweetheart deals with 7-figure payouts when they’re done with their government service. More generally, up and down the USDA’s power structure, the industry has embedded itself in the very agency that is supposed to protect the public (and animals) from its abuses. The noted lawyers Mariann Sullivan and David Wolfson have described this as “foxes” guarding the “henhouse.”
But Langworthy’s letter shows that this corrupt scheme is breaking. Powerful legislators are demanding accountability from the USDA, perhaps for the first time in history. And driving this accountability is public support for their actions. Langworthy’s posts on social media about fighting for the beagles are going viral. One post on Langworthy’s X/Twitter page has 148,000 views—10x the engagement he usually gets. If Langworthy and other politicians continue to go viral for helping the dogs—including, in Langworthy’s case, literally going to Marshall’s doorstep to demand freedom for the beagles—it will set a political precedent for other legislators to follow.
This is why today’s deadline is so important. The USDA is not just blowing off two House members. It is blowing off our democracy. But if more House members speak out—a mere 7 members of the House Oversight Committee can issue a subpoena forcing action—then we can expose the cruelty and corruption at the USDA and inspire action to save the dogs.
And, importantly, you can help us make that happen. Every federal legislator has the power to join Langworthy and Malliotakis in their demand of the USDA. Every US resident has at least 3 legislators—a House representative and two Senators—who are responsible to you. If enough people make calls, post on social media, and push our legislators to act, we can save the Marshall dogs.
But we need people like you to step up.
Other stuff
We are revamping our strategy to challenge the dog experimentation industry in light of the additional charges filed against 47 rescues from Ridglan. The trials of the beagle rescuers are an immense opportunity to raise attention to the cause—and defend the right to rescue. So we’re probably going to be reorganizing our strategy towards a defense of rescue in the next few months, including a summit that will be organized around Sept 5-6 in Madison, Wisconsin.
That does not mean we are letting Marshall off the hook. The next few months will be an important time to continue to educate the public—and the authorities—about the illegal actions routinely taken by mass confinement facilities such as Marshall. The goal will be to push the system to do the right thing and save the dogs.
My friends at the International Council for Animal Welfare just released a disturbing investigation of battery cages at Kroger, one of the nation’s largest grocers. The video footage is not for the faint of heart. But it’s important for anyone to realize what these corporations are flat out lying to the public. Kroger promised years ago to ban practices that ICAW is now revealing to the public. I’d encourage everyone to sign their petition and take action.
I’m looking for people in London to assist with a studio and podcast. I’m hoping to relaunch the podcast and start producing more video content. If you know someone who might be interested and has the right skillset—or, more importantly, extreme motivation to cultivate that skillset—let me know!
Done. Called all 3 of my reps. Thank you for posting this so I could do something.
Thank you Wayne for the update. I & a lot of people want to be kept updated.