United States President Donald Trump has criticized the Joe Biden administration for allegedly misusing taxpayer funds, claiming that over $8 million was spent on transgender-related experiments involving mice. His remarks have sparked widespread debate, prompting major news outlets to fact-check his assertions.
A review of federally funded research projects confirms that the National Institutes of Health (NIH) allocated millions of dollars to studies examining the effects of hormone therapy on mice. According to grant records, the NIH funded various research projects exploring gender and hormone therapy in animal models.
“These studies, conducted by research institutions across the country, explore topics ranging from reproductive health to immune responses in the context of hormone treatments,” the White House stated.
Among the projects funded are:
• $455,000 for a study titled “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 for research on “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.”
Trump also alleged that Biden allocated:
• $1.2 million for a study on “Androgen Effects on the Reproductive Neuroendocrine Axis,” which investigated the role of androgens in reproductive hormone regulation using transgenic mice.
• $3.1 million for research on “Gonadal Hormones as Mediators of Sex and Gender Influences in Asthma.”
Scientists involved in the projects stated, “We will study the contributions of estrogens to HDM-induced asthma outcomes using male and female gonadectomized mice treated with estradiol.”
In total, these projects amount to $8,290,053 in federal funding.
Trump’s remarks have intensified ongoing political debates about government spending and scientific research priorities. “The Biden administration is wasting millions on transgender experiments on mice while Americans struggle with inflation and rising costs,” Trump declared.
Meanwhile, media outlets and fact-checkers have analyzed the studies in question. While some experts argue that such research is essential for understanding hormone therapies’ broader medical implications, critics contend that taxpayer dollars should be directed toward more immediate public health concerns.
