Nancy Mace goes after nonexistent ‘trans mice’ research with new bill

South Carolina Rep. Nancy Mace continued her crusade against supposed research into transgender mice and spreading what her critics say is misinformation.

Days before the Republican Congresswoman launched her campaign for Governor of South Carolina, the self-described “proud transphobe” filed legislation on July 17 that would bar the use of federal funding on any animal experiments involving transgender research.

“Americans are rightfully tired of seeing their tax dollars spent on wasteful experiments disguised as research while advancing a political agenda,” Mace said in a statement. “This legislation brings accountability, ends taxpayer-funded cruelty, and ensures science serves the public, not ideology. It protects both animals and the integrity of public trust. We commend the work White Coat Waste Project has done to shine a light on this issue and help drive meaningful reform.”

Her Transgender Research on Animals Now Stops and Money for Ideological Cruelty Eliminated Act, or TRANS MICE Act, would prohibit funding any research that seeks to alter an animal’s biological sex through drugs, hormones, surgery, or any other intervention.

She filed the bill months after chairing a House Oversight Subcommittee meeting on “taxpayer-funded animal cruelty,” which in part scrutinized $241 million in federal funds allegedly directed toward gender-transition experiments involving animals.

But Mace seems to be basing her claims less on any science and more on allegations made by President Donald Trump in his address to Congress that have widely been debunked. He alleged scientists were “making mice transgender,” a false statement.

The fiscally conservative White Coat Waste Project has broadly opposed funding any animal testing. The same group has alleged U.S. funding supported research that led to the COVID-19 pandemic.

“Thanks to the outstanding leadership of Rep. Nancy Mace and White Coat Waste’s viral investigations, the Trump Administration has slashed spending on wasteful experiments that subject lab animals to invasive surgeries and hormone therapies to crudely mimic gender transitions in kids and adults—only to later wound, shock and inject the animals with viruses, vaccines and overdoses of sex-party drugs,” said Justin Goodman, senior vice president of the White Coat Waste Project. “These Trump cuts have already saved thousands of lab animals and millions of tax dollars, but we’ve uncovered dozens of active grants that also have funneled federal dollars to disturbing transgender animal tests. Taxpayers shouldn’t ever be forced to foot the bill for wasteful and disturbing transgender animal tests—and Rep. Mace’s commonsense TRANS MICE Act will ensure they won’t be."

But Americans for Medical Progress has said the allegations about the research cited by Mace contains significant misinformation.

“Recent claims about federally funded research on ‘transgender mice’ are inaccurate and misleading. This research is not related to gender identity; instead, they are focused on studying biological and reproductive development. Some have suggested the intended term was ‘transgenic mice,’ but that is also incorrect in this context. Transgenic mice are used across many scientific fields—including reproductive biology—and are organisms that allow researchers to study how changes in their genes drive health and disease in humans and animals. Recent news does not directly target transgenic organisms. Rather, it focuses on studies investigating natural hormonal and developmental processes,” the group said in a statement in March.

“To clarify, these mice are not ‘transgender’ in any human or social context. Research in this field helps scientists understand how sex hormones function and their effect when things go wrong, particularly in diseases and conditions like endometriosis, infertility, breast cancer, and prostate cancer. This work provides hope to countless individuals, whether in growing their families or enabling people to live longer, healthier lives when faced with a cancer diagnosis.”