Blackburn, Colleagues Introduce Bill to End Federal Funding for Harmful Gender Transition Research on Minors

NASHVILLE, Tenn. - U.S. Senators Marsha Blackburn (R-Tenn.), Mike Lee (R-Utah), James Lankford (R-Okla.), and several of their Senate colleagues recently introduced the Protecting Our Kids from Harmful Research Act to prohibit the use of federal funds for any research or publication promoting gender transitions for minors. The legislation would shield American children from permanent medical and psychological damage, in line with President Trump's agenda to keep tax dollars from funding child mutilation.

"Taxpayers should not be spending a penny on research done by those who want to push harmful gender transition surgeries and radical gender ideology on our kids," said Senator Blackburn. "The Protecting Our Kids from Harmful Research Act would prohibit the use of federal funds for any research or study on gender transition surgeries for minors."

"Why is the federal bureaucracy in the child mutilation business?" said Senator Lee. "Americans don't want to pay millions for these disturbing studies where hundreds of kids are experimented on with puberty-blocking drugs. President Trump rightly halted this attack on America's kids. Our bill will codify his agenda to keep federal dollars out of gender transition research involving minors."

"God creates every child male or female in His perfect image," said Senator Lankford. "For too long, taxpayers have been forced to fund sex-rejecting studies on kids. The result has been irreversible physical harm, mental health crises, and families torn apart. President Trump has led the effort to shut down these grants across the federal government, and Congress needs to make it permanent. This bill ensures that not one more taxpayer dollar funds research designed to harm children."

This legislation is also co-sponsored by Senators Ted Cruz (R-Texas), Steve Daines (R-Mont.), Cynthia Lummis (R-Wyo.), and Tommy Tuberville (R-Ala.). It is endorsed by Students for Life Action and the American Principles Project.

BACKGROUND

• Between 2019 and 2023, nearly 14,000 children were prescribed puberty blockers or cross-sex hormones, and more than 5,700 were subjected to surgical procedures like mastectomies or genital reassignment.

• In January 2025, President Donald Trump signed Executive Order 14187, directing our government to stand up for these victims and restrict funding, programs, and health coverage for these procedures.

PROTECTING OUR KIDS FROM HARMFUL RESEARCH ACT

• Specifically, the Protecting Our Kids from Harmful Research Act would prohibit the use of federal funds for any research, observational study, or publication relating to gender transitions in individuals under the age of 18, which is conducted for the purpose of affirming a minor's asserted identity or perception of his or her sex, if such is incongruent with the minor's biological sex.