House GOP Seeks to Ban Transgender Animal Experiments in 2026 Budget

A coalition of House Republicans is pushing to halt federal funding for what they call disturbing experiments involving transgender animals in the 2026 budget. Led by Rep. Paul Gosar of Arizona, lawmakers including Lauren Boebert, Marjorie Taylor Greene, and Nancy Mace are urging the inclusion of language in the Fiscal Year 2026 appropriations bill to prohibit taxpayer dollars from supporting research that alters animals’ biological sex through surgeries or hormone therapies.

The group’s letter to Rep. Robert Aderholt and Rep. Rosa DeLauro, leaders of the Subcommittee on Labor, Health and Human Services, Education, and Related Agencies, calls for a ban on funds for studies that manipulate vertebrate animals to mimic gender transitions. They argue these experiments, funded by millions in National Institutes of Health (NIH) grants, subject animals to invasive procedures, street drugs, and vaccines, labeling them as wasteful and cruel.

President Donald Trump has repeatedly criticized these experiments, and his administration has already cut millions in related NIH funding. Yet, the lawmakers note, 29 active grants still support such research. The White Coat Waste Project, a watchdog group, has fueled the debate, highlighting the issue on Capitol Hill and celebrating the proposed ban as a step to save animals and taxpayer money.

This move reflects a broader push to curb what these Republicans see as misuse of federal resources, spotlighting a niche but contentious corner of scientific research. The debate raises questions about ethics, priorities, and the role of public funds in controversial studies.