Did the Biden Administration Really Spend $8M on 'Transgender Mice'? Here's What You Need to Know

US President Donald Trump's joint Congress address on Tuesday had many major highlights, but there was one particular remark which has stirred quite a controversy. During his long speech, Trump claimed that former President Joe Biden's administration had spent a staggering $8 million on 'making mice transgender.'

The claim, which social media users are widely ridiculing, has also led to critics questioning its accuracy. So, did the Biden administration really spend taxpayer money on such a project? Let's break down the facts.

What Did Trump Say?

Trump's remark about 'transgender mice' was part of a broader criticism of federal spending, which he considered wasteful. According to the President, the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) had uncovered an 'outrageous expenditure' of $8 million on such experiments by the Biden administration. He said, 'Eight million dollars for making mice transgender. This is real.'

The wild claim was soon met with some questions, with critics and experts pointing out that Trump's statement lacked context, was misleading, and needed clarification.

The White House's Response

In a press statement on Wednesday, the White House released some crucial data that President Trump apparently didn't mention in his speech. The statement said the total was $8.3 million in federal grants for health studies involving mice. These studies, their data explained, were focused on understanding how gender-affirming hormone treatments will affect human health, not on changing the gender identity of the animals.

The press release provided a detailed breakdown of the research funded by the Biden administration, stating that "the total came to $8,290,053 (£6,540,000)." The studies focused on improving human health, particularly in areas such as asthma, breast cancer and HIV prevention. These studies involved "transgenic" mice—genetically modified for research purposes—not "transgender" animals, as Trump had claimed.

For example, in 2023, the National Cancer Institute awarded $299,940 (£237,000) for a project examining breast cancer rates in female mice and those undergoing testosterone therapy. Additionally, the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases allocated $455,120 (£360,000) for two studies testing HIV vaccines in mice that had received cross-sex hormone therapy.

Hence, according to the data provided by the White House, it is evident that these studies aimed to improve vaccine efficacy for humans, not alter the mice's gender identity.

However, the White House statement also cited research conducted by a watchdog group, the White Coat Waste Project. During a House Subcommittee hearing in February, Republican Representative Nancy Mace of South Carolina shared the findings from the WCW research and said millions of dollars in federal funds were used to create transgender mice, rats, and monkeys.

Turning the gun towards the previous government, Mace said, 'The Biden-Harris Administration was so eager to propagate their radical gender ideology across all facets of American society that they did not pause to consider that such experiments are not only cruel but unnecessary.'

Public Reaction to Trump's 'Transgender Mice' Remark

While it has not been confirmed whether the remark made by the President was a slip of the tongue or was intentional, it sure provided an opportunity for social media to talk about something.

In response to Trump's remark, one user on X wrote, 'I can't believe that Trump thinks that transgenic mice means they are transgender.' While another highlighted what the study meant, saying, 'About that claim he made about '$8 million in funding for research to turn mice transgender' which had the entire Republican side of the room bursting with laughter: it turns out the studies were on TRANSGENIC mice. Not transgender mice. Trump is just a transphobe who can't read.'

Although Donald Trump's claim that taxpayers' money is being spent on 'transgender mice' has gained a good amount of controversy in two days, the truth is more nuanced. The funds in question were reportedly allocated for legitimate scientific research aimed at improving human health, specifically by studying transgenic mice, not altering animal identities.