Fact Check: the biden administration invested $8 million dollars into making mice transgender

Fact Check: "The Biden Administration Invested $8 Million Dollars into Making Mice Transgender"

What We Know

The claim that the Biden Administration invested $8 million into making mice transgender stems from a statement made by former President Donald Trump during a recent address. He highlighted that the National Institutes of Health (NIH) allocated approximately $8 million for various studies involving mice that included gender-affirming hormone therapies and other related research (source-1).

The specific studies funded by these grants include:

A project examining the effects of gender-affirming hormone therapy on immune responses in mice ($455,000).
Research on reproductive consequences of steroid hormone administration ($2,500,000).
Studies on the effects of testosterone therapy on breast cancer risk ($299,940).
Investigations into microbiome effects of gender-affirming hormone therapy ($735,113).
Research on androgen effects on reproductive neuroendocrine functions ($1,200,000).
A study on gonadal hormones and asthma outcomes ($3,100,000) (source-1).

The total funding for these projects was reported as approximately $8.29 million, which aligns with Trump's claim of "around $8 million" (source-5).

Analysis

While the claim that the Biden Administration spent $8 million on transgender-related research involving mice is factually accurate, the framing of the statement requires scrutiny. The term "making mice transgender" is misleading. The research funded by the NIH is primarily focused on understanding the effects of hormone therapies and their implications for health outcomes, rather than altering the biological sex of the mice in a way that could be interpreted as "making them transgender" (source-6).

Moreover, the context in which this funding is discussed often includes significant political bias. The sources promoting the claim, such as statements from Rep. Nancy Mace and the White Coat Waste Project, emphasize the idea of "animal cruelty" and "wasteful spending," which may reflect a particular ideological stance against such research (source-2). This could lead to a perception that the research is more about political agendas than scientific inquiry.

The studies themselves are part of broader NIH-funded research aimed at understanding complex biological processes and health outcomes, which is a common practice in biomedical research. The NIH has historically funded various studies involving animal models to gain insights that can be translated to human health (source-4).

Conclusion

The claim that the Biden Administration invested $8 million into making mice transgender is Partially True. While it is accurate that approximately $8 million was allocated for research involving hormone therapies in mice, the characterization of this funding as "making mice transgender" is misleading. The studies funded are aimed at understanding health implications rather than altering the biological sex of the animals. The framing of the claim is politically charged and reflects a specific viewpoint on the ethics and necessity of such research.

Fact Check: the biden administration invested $8 million dollars into making mice transgender