Fact Check: The Biden administration spent $8 million to make mice transgender claimed by the White House & Trump

Fact Check: "The Biden administration spent $8 million to make mice transgender claimed by the White House & Trump"

What We Know

The claim that the Biden administration allocated $8 million for experiments involving "making mice transgender" stems from a statement made by former President Donald Trump during his address to Congress on March 4, 2025. Trump cited this expenditure as an example of wasteful government spending, which was later supported by a press release from the White House that detailed specific National Institutes of Health (NIH) grants totaling approximately $8.29 million for various studies related to gender-affirming hormone therapies in mice (source-1, source-3).

The NIH grants included studies such as:

• $455,000 for a mouse model to test the effects of gender-affirming hormone therapy on HIV vaccine responses.
• $2.5 million for research on reproductive consequences of steroid hormone administration.
• $299,940 for examining gender-affirming testosterone therapy on breast cancer risk.
• $735,113 for microbiome effects of gender-affirming hormone therapy.
• $1.2 million for androgen effects on the reproductive neuroendocrine axis.
• $3.1 million for studying gonadal hormones in asthma outcomes (source-1).

Analysis

The claim that the Biden administration spent $8 million specifically to "make mice transgender" is a simplification of the actual research funded. The studies funded by the NIH involve complex biological research that examines the effects of hormone therapies on various health outcomes in mice, rather than a direct effort to change the gender of the animals.

While the total funding does amount to approximately $8.29 million, the characterization of the research as "making mice transgender" can be seen as misleading. This framing may stem from a misunderstanding or misrepresentation of the scientific objectives of the studies, which focus on understanding the implications of hormone therapies rather than altering the gender identity of the mice (source-5, source-7).

The sources of this information include official government releases and reputable news outlets, which lend credibility to the data presented. However, the interpretation and presentation of these facts can vary significantly depending on the political bias of the source. For instance, conservative outlets may emphasize the "wasteful spending" angle, while scientific communities may focus on the potential benefits of such research for understanding hormone-related health issues (source-6).

Conclusion

The claim that the Biden administration spent $8 million to make mice transgender is True in the sense that the NIH did fund research totaling approximately $8.29 million related to gender-affirming hormone therapies in mice. However, the characterization of this funding as an effort to "make mice transgender" is misleading and oversimplifies the scientific objectives of the research. The studies aim to explore the effects of hormone treatments rather than to change the gender identity of the animals involved.

Sources

1. Yes, Biden Spent Millions on Transgender Animal Experiments
2. Joe Biden atteint d'une forme "agressive" d'un cancer de la prostate
3. FACT CHECK: Does the U.S. government fund studies 'making mice ...
4. Le cancer de Joe Biden a bien été diagnostiqué la semaine passée ...
5. This Is What's Behind Trump's Uproar Over Transgender Mice
6. Fact-checking Trump's anti-transgender comments in his ...
7. Fact Check: President Trump Did NOT Mistake 'Transgenic' For ...
8. Fact-checking Trump's claims during his address to Congress