'Woke pseudoscience': Trans mice and the revival of multimillion-dollar NIH grants
Less than a year after the Department of Government Efficiency abruptly suspended funding for transgender animal experiments, the National Institutes of Health decided to grant funding again to one such study.
File image of a mouse experiment.
Less than a year after the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) abruptly suspended funding for transgender experiments on animals, the National Institutes of Health (NIH) have decided to grant funding again to one of these studies, as claimed by White Coat Waste (WCW), which advocates for the protection of animals in scientific research.
The research and its funding
The study, conducted by the University of California, San Diego (UCSD), examines the effects of androgens on the reproductive neuroendocrine axis. To do this, male hormones are administered to gonadectomized mice, and they are ultimately decapitated as part of the experimental procedure.
The project received $584,117 for fiscal year 2026, after receiving $646,301 in 2025. According to WCW, the resumption of funding was ordered by a federal court last summer, after ruling that the previous suspension had been "arbitrary and capricious." However, NIH had no legal obligation to fund the study beyond the now-ended budget period, according to the agency and the White Coat Waste project.
"NIH's legal obligation to the UCSD study ended Nov. 30 with its budget end date,"Just the News reported, per Justin Goodman, WCW senior vice president.
Politics
'Trans animals': The multimillion-dollar gender studies on rats and monkeys funded by taxpayers
Santiago Ospital
Political and scientific controversy
The decision has generated criticism from lawmakers and animal rights advocacy groups. Republican Rep. Paul Gosar, author of the TRANS MICE Act (HR 4512) to ban such experiments, called the research "woke pseudoscience" and deemed the use of public funds in these studies unacceptable.
The NIH and the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) have issued conflicting statements on the extent of funding for transgender experiments on animals. While initially assuring that funding for such tests was not continuing, it was subsequently discovered that the UCSD transgender mouse study had been reinstated.
Ethical and scientific implications
According to Goodman, "these studies not only raise serious ethical issues, but also reflect a questionable use of public funds in research with as yet unproven human applications."
In addition, parallel human experiments at UCSD analyze hormone secretion in women who identify as men under testosterone therapy, which has raised concerns about the health risks and ethics of translating findings from animals to humans.
Analysis: Science, policy and public perception
The case reflects the growing tension between innovative scientific research, federal policy, and public perception. While the NIH defends the continuation of certain projects on scientific grounds, legislators and organizations such as WCW question their utility and ethics.
Experts point out that communication and transparency in the use of public funds is key to maintaining citizen trust. The controversy surrounding these experiments highlights how science, when it intersects with sociopolitical debates, can generate conflicts even before the results are applicable.
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