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Trump Administration Cuts Funding for Transgender Animal Experiments
First on Fox: President Donald Trump’s National Institutes of Health recently dismantled over $1 million in federally funded research that aimed to determine if hormone therapy in rats increased their likelihood of overdosing on a widely used party drug.
The funding, part of a Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion initiative, had initially been revealed in December 2024 by the White Coat Waste Project. This nonprofit organization focuses on exposing the misuse of taxpayer dollars in animal testing and uncovered that over $10 million had been spent last year on projects labeled as creating “transgender animals.”
As the Department of Government Efficiency takes action to uncover and eliminate mismanaged funds, ten research grants related to transgender animal studies have been canceled under the Trump administration. This initiative aligns with a broader effort to scrutinize and cut wasteful government spending.
Anthony Bellotti, the president and founder of the White Coat Waste Project, remarked on the announcement, describing it as a significant victory for both taxpayers and animals. Bellotti expressed pride in the organization’s investigation, which has influenced the Trump administration to remove millions allocated to initiatives involving harmful practices on transgender lab animals.
Bellotti emphasized, “We are proud that our landmark investigation has led to the elimination of DEI funding and has stopped the wasteful spending earmarked for experiments involving sterilization, hormone therapies, and invasive surgeries. Such studies have subjected animals to drug overdoses and severe suffering. The time has come to cease funding these unethical experiments.”
Details of the Controversial Experiment
The University of the Pacific in Stockton received over $1 million in funding for a study entitled ‘GHB Toxicokinetics: Role of Sex Hormone Dependent Monocarboxylate Transporter Regulation and Potential for Altered Overdose Risk in Transgender Men and Women.’ This study was originally set to run from April 1, 2020, through March 31, 2025, but was terminated by DOGE on March 21.
This project fell under the NIH’s Support of Competitive Research Program, which aims to enhance research at institutions committed to educating underrepresented groups in biomedical sciences.
The White Coat Waste Project acquired details of the grant application through the Freedom of Information Act. This revealed alarming plans to conduct invasive surgeries on male rats, including castration and estrogen injections, as well as ovariectomy and testosterone injections for female rats before administering Gamma-Hydroxybutyrate, or GHB, a substance frequently associated with recreational drug use.
The primary goal of this research was to assess whether hormone therapy would elevate overdose risks among transgender men and women.
Legislators Respond to Funding Cuts
In response to the funding cuts, the White Coat Waste Project has collaborated with various legislators to raise awareness and investigate the significant taxpayer spending on unethical animal research. Recently, the organization received acknowledgment from the president for their efforts.
During a House Oversight Committee hearing, titled ‘Transgender Lab Rats and Poisoned Puppies: Oversight of Taxpayer-Funded Animal Cruelty,’ legislators took a strong stance against the funding of harmful animal experiments.
Representative Nancy Mace, R-S.C., highlighted the administration’s recent cut, stating, “We spent over $1 million to determine if female rats receiving testosterone therapy were more likely to overdose on a date rape drug.”
Mace continued, saying, “At our House Oversight Committee hearing, we exposed these cruel, taxpayer-funded animal experiments. The NIH wasted significant taxpayer dollars studying the effects of testosterone on female rats, all while disregarding ethical considerations. Now, President Trump and DOGE are finally putting an end to these unethical experiments.
