Did Donald Trump mistake transgenic mice for ‘transgender mice’ in his speech?

In his Tuesday address to Congress, former president Donald Trump claimed that the Biden administration had spent$ 8 million on “making mice transgender.” He took an unexpected turn. Democratic lawmakers sat up and yelled at his statement, insisted that tax money was being wasted on pointless studies, and he made it clear that he was right.
Trump’s comments were a part of a wider assault on government spending that was in line with tips from the DOGE, a Republican-backed initiative that seeks to reduce what they perceive to be silly expenditures. While mentioning examples, it billionaire Elon Musk, who has been an vocal critic of government spending, waved and stood as DOGE was mentioned, bringing cheers from Democratic politicians.
The Origins of the Claim
Trump’s comments appeared to sound issues raised in a recent legislative committee reading led by Republican Representative Nancy Mace, despite no citing a specific cause. The taxpayer-funded animal cruelty reading examined the use of taxpayer funds for clinical studies involving animal tests. Its title was” Transgender Lab Rats and Poisoned Puppies: Monitoring of Taxpayer-Funded Animal Cruelty.”
Over$ 10 million was spent on tasks involving trans mice, rats, and monkeys, according to a statement from the White Coat Waste Project, a watchdog group that opposes government-funded animal studies. These figures gained support in liberal circles, bolstering claims that tax money was being used to fund controversial study.

Following Trump’s remarks, the White House responded by sharing a list of National Institutes of Health ( NIH) grants, which included:

According to Trump, the overall cost of these studies was more than$ 8.2 million, which is in line with the figure. None of these initiatives, however, involved switching rabbits between genders literally. Instead, they concentrated on examining the effects of estrogen on illness, sexual health, and immune responses.
Fact-checking the figures
Trump’s understanding of these studies jobs was quickly met with criticism. Reports suggested that modified mice, genetically modified rodents used in medical research to better comprehend people diseases, were the primary subjects of the studies in question rather than experiments involving sex identity.
Worldwide, laboratories are frequently using modified mice to study conditions like cancer, degenerative diseases, and immune system problems. For the purposes of developing treatments for diseases that disproportionately affect those receiving hormone treatments, such as transgender people receiving gender-affirming care or older women receiving hormone replacement therapy, scientists agree that research using mice to conduct hormone therapy is necessary.
Also, watchdog organizations made several errors clear in DOGE’s financial reports. Prior to now, the agency had to retract claims about alleged inefficient spending because of quantitative errors, which Musk and different fiscal conservatives supported. An example of a widely-known claim involved the government canceling an$ 8 billion contract when the actual contract value was only$ 8 million.
Transgender or Transgenic Mice

Researchers can examine certain chromosomes and their effects on biological processes by introducing foreign DNA into genetically modified mice, which have been genetically modified. To design individual diseases like cancer, neurological disorders, and autoimmune problems, these mice are frequently employed in medical and genetic analysis. Researchers can observe how particular gene modifications affect disease progression, development, and treatment responses by altering certain genes. Transgenic rabbits have made a significant contribution to the development of treatments for diseases like Alzheimer’s, diabetes, and a variety of cancers. Transgenic animals are not related to gender identity studies, as they are, in contrast to the deceptive claims made in social language. Instead, they are important tools for understanding biology, drug efficacy, and disorder mechanisms.
Social skepticism and scientific truth

The White House refrained from refuting Trump’s claims despite the criticism from academics and fact-checkers. Yes, Biden spent thousands on transgender dog tests, according to a report on an official state website immediately after his conversation. But, as critics claimed, there was no evidence to support the document’s studies ‘ findings regarding sex personality changes in animals.
Some political analysts speculated that Trump’s administration purposefully confused transgenic research with transgender-related research as part of a wider campaign to criticize federal funding for diversity, equity, and inclusion ( DEI ) initiatives. Due to political opposition, some state organizations have recently been subject to pressure to remove words like “equity” and “inclusion” from public reviews and funding announcements.
A larger intellectual argument over federal funding for scientific research is also brought up by the discussion. Some critics claim that some studies are ideologically motivated or useless, but others warn that undermining clinical research may lead to more medical breakthroughs. Generally, NIH-funded research has resulted in significant health advancements, including novel treatments for inflammatory diseases like HIV and cancer.
Trump lamented that he was not being applauded by Liberals during his target. Democrats sitting right here will certainly clap, will hardly stand, and undoubtedly will never cheer for these incredible accomplishments, he said.” I could find a cure for the most devastating disease, and ] Democrats sitting right here will never clap, will not stand, and will not cheer.”
Some experts warn that the ability to locate such cures may be in danger as institutions are faced with cash cuts.

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