US President Donald Trump signed an executive order on June 9 establishing a dedicated women's health division within the National Institutes of Health (NIH), along with a White House task force focused on the issue. The signing took place in Washington and was attended by First Lady Melania Trump, who championed the initiative.
Speaking at the signing ceremony, Melania Trump said the initiative sets "a new standard for women's health in America." She described it as a "transformational moment" and said that from today "the reality of women's health will change." The First Lady also acknowledged earlier generations who fought for women's rights, saying the current generation will work to find treatments so that women can live healthy and full lives.
Under the order, the new division must be established within 90 days. It is intended to accelerate scientific discoveries, expand clinical access to women's health care and modernize care at every stage of a woman's life. The White House said the new NIH division will not replace the existing Office of Research on Women's Health but will have a broader mandate extending beyond research.
Melania Trump cited "superintelligence, advanced biotechnology and breakthrough therapies" as tools offering "an extraordinary opportunity to reshape women's health care." The Office of the First Lady identified "five pillars" for innovation in the field, including funding targeted research to find treatments for conditions affecting women, such as endometriosis, and shortening the time it takes to bring "promising therapies" to female patients.
"In 2026, medical progress can do more than just extend life," Melania Trump said. She said medical advances "should give women the freedom to live life to the fullest, pursue their dreams, experience love, explore, create, travel and lead."
The White House task force will be co-chaired by White House Chief of Staff Susie Wiles, who recently recovered from cancer, and Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. The order directs HHS to cover the task force's administrative costs but sets no funding target or specific figure.
Observers note that Melania Trump has maintained a relatively low public profile during Trump's second term. Her public appearances have been fewer than during the first term, though she has spoken out on improving child care and the role of technology, such as artificial intelligence, in education. During Trump's first term, the First Lady launched the "Be Best" campaign focusing on child welfare, social media safety and combating opioid abuse.
However, some critics question the order's effectiveness, given that the Trump administration has cut the federal workforce since the second-term inauguration. Thousands of employees have been laid off at NIH alone; according to Kaiser Health News, the agency's workforce is at its lowest level in decades.
NIH has also been tasked with a 35% spending cut across all divisions, equivalent to a large budget reduction of about $2.6 billion. In April 2025, HHS faced widespread criticism and a multistate lawsuit after abruptly terminating regional contracts of the Women's Health Initiative — at the time the nation's largest long-term study tracking the health of older women. Critics warned the move threatened lifesaving research into cardiovascular disease, cancer and osteoporosis-related fractures in older women.
