Nancy Mace introduces contentious "Trans Mice Act"
South Carolina Rep. Nancy Mace has stirred up quite a bit with her newest piece, dubbed as "The Trans Mice Act." This all kicked off after former President Donald Trump made some questionable statements claiming that President Biden poured millions (allegedly) towards making mice transgender—talk about far-fetched! Fact-checkers had a field day debunking this one.
What's in Mace's proposed bill?
True-to-form, Mace, who's never shied away from opposing transgender rights, took her announcement about "The Trans Mice Act" straight onto social media on August 18. She said it would put a stop, once and forever, "to federally funded transgender research on mice." The thing? There's no ground reality behind these accusations.
"The Biden Administration has spent tens upon tens (and I mean tens) millions on this kind," Mace wrote over on X. "We introduced our Act so our tax dollars tackle real stuff, not wasteful, nonsensical experiments. Hold your ground," she hailed.
Officially named "Transgender Research on Animals Now Stops and Money For Ideological Cruelty Eliminated Act" (that's a mouthful!), this bill aims at blocking federal funds from any animal research that tries changing an animal's biological sex with drugs, hormones, or surgery.
The bill's interesting origin
This wild ride started with one March speech where Trump misled folks by claiming Elon Musk's Department Of Government Efficiency (DOGE—yep, like Dogecoin!) found an $8 million fund supposedly used on "making mice transgender." Spoiler alert: zero evidence supports any part.
Fact-Check Alert!
Post-Trump's claim, CNN fact-checkers swooped in, and guess what? The White House clarified $8.3 million went toward mouse-based health studies, mostly understanding treatment impacts in gender-affirming healthcare—not turning mice transgender.
Take, say, a National Cancer Institute-funded study that got $299,940 comparing breast cancer rates in female mice and ones on testosterone—real insights faster than waiting around humans—and there you go, explained.
Plus, $455,120 was split by The National Institute Of Allergy And Infectious Diseases (NIAID) focusing on how cross-sex hormone therapy affects HIV vaccine effectiveness in mice; it's all toward crafting potent vaccines bearing few risks, as explained by NIH.
Still, fact-checks be damned! Trump and his crew brushed them off, tossing around "fake news" while sticking firm on claims long debunked.
Media gets a laugh and public has its say
The "trans mice" narrative quickly turned comedy fodder. On March 8, Lady Gaga's hosting gig at "Saturday Night Live" included James Austin Johnson's Trump impersonation hilariously skewering those false claims.
"Elon really nailed it with DOGE. He gave me such solid stuff come State-of-the-Union. You can't believe $8 mil's gone on turning mice transgender? Well, neither could I—because it ain't true. But I said it—big laugh—and that's addictive," went one comedic take.
Then came "Jimmy Kimmel Live," distancing transgenic mice from transgender ones. Kimmel schooled viewers: "Government bucks fund transgenic mice—those genetically altered critters aid disease research—not any gender business."
Translation—transgenic mice's been around since '74; case in point—Dallas scientists cultivating woolly-furred mice trying out revival experiments, harking back mammoth traits.
On comedic ponderings: "Did such a narrative spring from ignorance, or do they think people just can't Google?" quipped Kimmel. "Or, scary enough, maybe it's us they think lack Googling?"
Final thoughts on this saga
As this drama unfolds, "The Trans Mice Act" highlights why truth and responsible legislation are more critical than ever, especially when science and public funds are at stake.
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