U.S. President Donald Trump slammed the Biden administration for allegedly misusing taxpayer money, citing over $8 million spent on transgender experiments on mice. His remarks sparked a heated debate, and media outlets and fact-checkers examined the claims more closely.
An exploration of federally funded research studies confirmed that the National Institutes of Health (NIH) invested millions in research examining the effects of hormone therapy on mice. According to grant reports, the funding was dispersed among various research centers examining reproductive health, immune systems, and hormone therapies.
Some of the key projects include:
- $455,000 for a study on “A Mouse Model to Test the Effects of Gender-Affirming Hormone Therapy on HIV Vaccine-Induced Immune Responses.”
- $2.5 million for “Reproductive Consequences of Steroid Hormone Administration.”
- $299,940 to examine the effect of **gender-affirming testosterone therapy on breast cancer risk and treatment outcomes.
- $735,113 to examine “Microbiome-Mediated Effects of Gender-Affirming Hormone Therapy in Mice.”
- $1.2 million for “Androgen Effects on the Reproductive Neuroendocrine Axis,” an investigation into the effects of androgens on the control of reproductive hormones.
- $3.1 million for a project on “Gonadal Hormones as Mediators of Sex and Gender Influences in Asthma.”
Combined, these projects represent $8,290,053 in federal funding.
Trump’s criticism has also contributed to political debates regarding government spending and scientific research priorities. “The Biden administration is allocating millions of dollars for transgender experiments on mice while Americans are hurting under inflation and rising prices,” Trump stated.
Meanwhile, media outlets and fact-checkers have examined the studies, with some experts defending the research as vital to the medical understanding of hormone therapy, with critics arguing that taxpayer money should be allocated to more important public health concerns.
