'Not April Fools': MAGA lawmaker said to reach new low with 'depressingly funny' bill

Rep. Nancy Mace (R-SC), who vacated her seat after a failed bid for governor and will leave Congress early next year, recently revealed a new bill she intends on filing, the details of which left critics in disbelief.Labeled the “TRANS MICE Act,” Mace’s new bill would prohibit federally funded research “aimed at altering an animal’s biological sex.” The bill is consistent with President Donald Trump’s past false claim that taxpayers were funding medical research to make “mice transgender.”The claim likely stems from a misreading of medical research studies involving “transgenic mice,” which are mice whose DNA has been altered, often for disease research purposes. Nevertheless, Mace proudly touted her new bill on social media as a tool to end “ideological cruelty” toward animals – and critics were quick to correct the record.“Apparently this is not an April Fools joke,” wrote Susan Oliver, who runs the science-based online show “Back to Science.” “This person really doesn't know that trans mice are transgenic and not transgender.”Political strategist Mike Nellis proclaimed Mace to be “the dumbest member of Congress,” which he noted was “really saying something.” Zack Nelson, a popular tech reviewer, told his close to 1 million followers on X that he found Mace’s bill to be “depressingly funny,” and clarified that “nobody is making transgender mice.”And Ari Drennen, a media strategist and writer, questioned why Mace would support the president given that his endorsement of her GOP primary opponent in the gubernatorial race may have helped sow the seeds of her ousting from politics.“You lost, Nancy, you don’t have to do this s--- anymore,” Drennen wrote in a social media post on X to her nearly 100,000 followers.Apparently this is not an April Fools joke. This person really doesn't know that trans mice are transgenic and not transgender. https://t.co/t52HQnQvsQ— Dr Susan Oliver (PhD) (@DrSusanOliver1) June 20, 2026