Former President Donald Trump has a significant opportunity to reshape gender ideology in medicine and scientific research, according to political analyst Rasmussen. In an interview with DCNF, Rasmussen emphasized Trump’s potential to leverage federal funding as a tool to influence state policies and institutional practices, particularly in areas involving extreme gender ideology.
“Some of the biggest hammers the federal government has is funding,” Rasmussen explained. “They can attach a lot of conditions to federal funds flowing to states and institutions. If kids are being harmed through extreme gender ideologies, it may be time to rethink our entire relationship regarding federal funding.”
Rasmussen also highlighted the need for better oversight in medical research, criticizing the National Institutes of Health (NIH) for prioritizing questionable projects while overlooking critical areas like the potential harms of puberty blockers and cross-sex hormones on adolescents. For instance, NIH is currently allocating $214,998 to enhance transgender voice training and $267,121 to study transgender women’s immune responses to COVID-19 vaccines.
Concerns about transparency in federally funded research were also raised, citing Dr. Johanna Olson-Kennedy’s failure to publish results from a $9.7 million NIH-funded study on early medical treatment for transgender youth. According to *The New York Times*, Olson-Kennedy refrained from releasing the study’s findings, fearing they could be “weaponized” against pediatric gender interventions.
“There’s a lot of leeway within regulatory changes that can happen through rule making and guidance,” Rasmussen added. “This is an area where President Trump can act unilaterally and make impactful changes relatively quickly.”
As debates over gender ideology and federal funding continue, these discussions reflect a growing focus on the balance between advancing research and protecting vulnerable populations.
