Rep. Nancy Mace (R-S.C.) posted a furious claim on X that federal funding was supporting “radical transgender experiments” on animals, promoting her dormant “TRANS MICE Act.” Within hours, a community note corrected her: the mice research she referenced is abo
A furious post on X turned into a public science lesson for Rep. Nancy Mace (R-S.C.), and by the next day she was still refusing to call it a mistake.
On Thursday. Mace—describing herself as a failed gubernatorial candidate—wrote that government funding was backing “radical transgender experiments” on animals. She framed the work as “ideological cruelty paid for by the American taxpayers. ” then pushed her “TRANS MICE Act. ” a dormant bill she introduced to the House Committee on Science. Space. and Technology last July.
In her post. Mace asserted. “Animals should not be used for radical transgender experiments.” She followed that with: “This is not science. This is ideological cruelty paid for by the American taxpayers.” Then came the central promise: “Our TRANS MICE Act ends it. No federal funds may be used to conduct. support. or fund research aimed at altering an animal’s… pic.twitter.com/ef3tSuhO78.”.
She doubled down further in the same thread, writing: “No hormones. No surgeries. No taxpayer dollars spent mutilating animals in the name of transgender ideology,” adding, “This legislation brings accountability, ends taxpayer-funded cruelty, and ensures science serves the public, not ideology.”
But almost immediately, the platform’s community notes moved in. One note explained that “trans mice” had nothing to do with what Mace described as transgender ideology. It defined the science at issue: “Transgenic mice are defined as mice that have incorporated foreign DNA into their genome. allowing for the study of gene function and disease mechanisms. particularly in cancer research.” The note linked to a biomedical study posted by the National Institutes of Health and a fact-checking article from the advocacy group. Americans for Medical Progress.
Instead of conceding the point, Mace took another swing on Friday. She wrote. “This post is not about transgenic mice.” Then she insisted. “It is about federally funded transgender-related experiments on animals. ” while choosing not to include any specific examples of the “grievance du jour” she was reacting to in the follow-up post.
The correction became fuel for mockery in replies. Several critics pointed to a perceived contradiction: the same officials who were “ranting about science funding” were also pushing to eliminate the Department of Education.
One reply came from an account labeled @YourAnonNews. writing: “Republicans once again proving they have mental problems and are more concerned about what people have between their legs than the poor and starving of their constituants.— Anonymous (@YourAnonNews) June 18. 2026.” Another user. @billifer1973. leaned into wordplay. posting: “Translation: Not transgender.Transmission: Not transgender.Transportation: Not transgender.Transatlantic: Not transgender.Transgenic: Also not transgender.English is hard.— Billifer (@billifer1973) June 19. 2026.”.
Others went for blunt personal derision. @themeasuredtake wrote, “most of me is glad you’re leaving office but part of me is sad because your stupidity is unmatched and so fucking funny pic.twitter.com/VNs4N9wwmN— palki (@themeasuredtake) June 20, 2026.”
Mace had earlier appeared in public life at the Richland County, South Carolina, GOP meeting last November, shown in a Getty Images photo used alongside the controversy.
What unfolded over two days was less about a laboratory dispute than a fight over language—how quickly “transgenic” was treated as “transgender. ” and how firmly Mace rejected the correction once it landed on her original post. The underlying dispute. as the community note laid out. is that the research described in the biomedical study is used to study gene function and disease mechanisms. “particularly in cancer research”—a framing that directly clashes with Mace’s insistence that the “TRANS MICE” idea was really about federally funded transgender-related animal experiments.
Nancy Mace TRANS MICE Act X community note transgenic mice NIH Americans for Medical Progress House Committee on Science Space and Technology
So basically she was wrong but still mad? classic.
I don’t even get why people are defending it. If it’s using animals then it’s cruelty, period. Republicans or not.
Wait community note says “trans mice” is just transgenic mice? So she thought it was like actual transgender experiments on animals? That seems… like how does that even happen. Still, why are they messing with DNA like that in the first place.
Nancy Mace always finds a way to be dramatic. I saw this headline and immediately assumed it was some woke lab doing surgery on mice, like what else would “trans mice” mean. Then they’re like “no no it’s cancer research.” Okay but she should’ve apologized like right away, and also who cares about her dormant bill like… it’s all politics anyway.