The Donald Trump administration has cut over $1m in federal funding for a controversial research project involving hormone therapy in lab rats.
The project, funded by the National Institutes of Health (NIH), seeks to evaluate whether rats going through the therapy were more likely to overdose on the gamma-hydroxybutyrate (GHB), a popular recreational drug.
The research, conducted at the University of the Pacific in Stockton, California, was initially funded through the NIH’s Support of Competitive Research (SCORE) Program.
However, following an investigation by the White Coat Waste Project, a nonprofit watchdog group that exposes taxpayer-funded animal experiments, the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) terminated the grant early on March 21.
White Coat Waste first exposed the grant in December 2024, revealing that over $10m in taxpayer money had been used for experiments creating so-called “transgender animals.”
Documents obtained by Fox News through the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) detailed plans to castrate male rats and inject them with oestrogen, remove female rats’ ovaries and inject them with testosterone, and then administer GHB to observe overdose risks.
“This is a great victory for taxpayers and animals,” said White Coat Waste Project founder Anthony Bellotti, in reaction to the cuts.
“Our investigation has helped stop millions in DEI funds from being wasted on cruel and unnecessary experiments that serve no real scientific purpose,” he stated.
The project aimed to study GHB toxicity in the absence of natural sex hormones and response to cross-sex hormone therapy.
Supporters of the research argued it could provide insights into overdose risks for transgender individuals undergoing hormone treatment.
However, critics, including lawmakers, denounced the study as an example of government waste and unethical animal testing—an action the Trump administration frowns at, promoting the set-up of DOGE, headed by tech billionaire Elon Musk.
The research was highlighted during a recent House Oversight Committee hearing titled “Transgender Lab Rats and Poisoned Puppies: Oversight of Taxpayer-Funded Animal Cruelty.”
Representative Nancy Mace (R-SC) criticised the use of taxpayer funds for such experiments, calling it “cruel and unnecessary.”
“We spent over $1m to find out if female rats receiving testosterone therapy were more likely to overdose on a date rape drug,” Mace said.
“Thanks to President Trump and DOGE, these inhumane experiments are finally being shut down.”
Chairman of the Senate DOGE Caucus, Senator Joni Ernst, also praised the funding cut, stating: “Since last year, I’ve exposed how the Biden administration got caught in the woke mousetrap and wasted millions of tax dollars on transgender animal experiments,” Ernst said.
“I’m grateful that President Trump and DOGE are eliminating this wacky pseudoscience. Together, we are ensuring taxpayer-funded research is both ethical and meaningful,” he added.
The Trump administration has now cut ten similar research grants that were exposed by the White Coat Waste Project, reinforcing its commitment to reducing what it considers wasteful spending.
