CINCINNATI — During a joint address to the United States Congress on Tuesday, President Donald Trump claimed the government has funded scientific studies aimed at "making mice transgender."
"Just listen to some of the appalling waste," he said, referencing the work of the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE). "$8 million for making mice transgender. This is real."
A WCPO 9 News analysis of the studies he was referencing, later posted by the White House in a press release, found that the government is not funding research specifically aimed at "making mice transgender."
In a release titled, "Yes, Biden Spent Millions on Transgender Animal Experiments," the White House listed six NIH-funded studies as proof of Trump's claim. Altogether, the cost total was $8.29 million:
- $455K | "A Mouse Model to Test the Effects of Gender-affirming Hormone Therapy on HIV Vaccine-induced Immune Responses"
- $2.5M | "Reproductive Consequences of Steroid Hormone Administration"
- $299.9K | "Gender-Affirming Testosterone Therapy on Breast Cancer Risk and Treatment Outcomes"
- $735.1K | "Microbiome mediated effects of gender-affirming hormone therapy in mice"
- $1.2M | "Androgen effects on the reproductive neuroendocrine axis"
- $3.1M | "Gonadal hormones as mediators of sex and gender influences in asthma"
Watch the full breakdown here:
While the studies do examine the effects of hormone therapy on health outcomes, no specific research has targeted "making mice transgender" as a stated goal or outcome.
Hormone therapies are used in gender-affirming healthcare.
One study, having received a $3.1 million NIH grant, examines whether the estrogen hormone contributes to a greater chance of asthma in women.
Another, which received $455,000, uses mice to study how hormone therapy may impact someone's immune response to an HIV vaccine.
A $299,940 study examines how gender-affirming hormone therapy impacts someone's risk for breast cancer.
Two more look into the impact of hormone therapies: one studies how testosterone might affect fertility while the other focuses on the potential impact on the gut microbiome.
The last one, a $1.2 million NIH-funded study, uses "transgenic mice," not "transgender mice," and focuses on improving healthcare outcomes for LGBTQ+ patients.
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