House Republicans Aim to Ban Federal Funding for Animal Transgender Experiments
A group of Republicans in the House is pushing for the upcoming 2026 spending bill to prohibit any federal funds from being allocated to experiments involving animal gender transitions. Representatives Paul Gosar, Elijah Crane, Abraham Hamade, Lauren Boebert, Brandon Gill, Nancy Mace, Marjorie Taylor Greene, Pete Stauber, and Troy Nehls are all backing this initiative, specifically targeting experiments funded by agencies such as Labor, Health, and Human Services, and Education.
The House Republicans have requested that the committee include a stipulation stating that “none of the funds available through this or other actions will be used in vertebrate research for the purposes of studying drugs, surgery, or other interventions that alter the human body,” with an emphasis on natural development and functioning.
A letter addressed to Chairman Robert Aderholt and Ranking Member Rep. Rosa DeLauro cites a grant from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) approved during President Biden’s term, describing it as a “pointless and troubling experiment.” This experiment reportedly involves the gender transition of certain animal subjects.
Rep. Mace criticized the notion of using taxpayer dollars for these kinds of experiments, mentioning earlier reports about how “transgender animals are subjected to injuries, shocks, and various invasive procedures during these experiments.”
Interestingly, former President Trump has openly opposed such experiments on multiple occasions, claiming that government efficiency has led to cuts totaling millions for NIH funding related to transgender animal trials. However, House GOP members pointed out that some of these NIH grants remain operational.
The White Coat Waste Project, which focuses on eliminating unnecessary government spending on animal testing, noted that there are still “29 active taxpayer-funded grants” sustaining this type of research.
The Project commended the efforts of House Republicans in aiming to limit taxpayer money being used for what they deem “futile” transgender animal experiments. They highlighted that collaboration with representatives has led to significant budget reductions regarding invasive experiments, particularly those that mimic gender transition processes encountered by both children and adults.
While these budget cuts have allegedly saved countless laboratory animals and taxpayer money, advocates stress that existing NIH grants aimed at transgender animal research still pose a concern, arguing that taxpayer funds shouldn’t be directed toward such controversial practices.
